The Legend of Arcceonn Gen 4
by Raynar K'Tal
Summary: In the direct prequel to my first fanfic, Aranam K'Tal and Team Avengers explore the newly rediscovered land of Arcceonn, with some assistance from the locals of course.  But will he discover the true fate of Arcceonn before it's too late?
1. TitleDisclaimer

Pokémon and any references I may have used are in no way mine and belong to their respective owners. Character names, personae, the story, and pretty much everything else (including the double tri-spear weapon concept) are my property and therefore consult me if you should desire to use them. If anybody notices any copyright infringement, I did not know about it, and if you have a problem with that, f*** off! (Please excuse my language; this is to let you know how much I hate idiots)

**The Legend of Arcceonn**

**Generation 4: Aranam, the Avenger**

Written by Raynar K'Tal

Edited by Poketoa K'Tal Publishing Co. Ltd.


	2. Chapter 1: In It to Win It

Chapter 1 – In It to Win It

_Towards the end of the Twentieth Century, many exploration teams exist; however, there are two types of exploration teams out there, those that are great and those that are not. However, little is known about the third type: the type that can change the entire course of history. One such team, an already famous Master-Rank team known as "Team Avengers", has had many successes throughout their two-year existence. Today, their mission is to ambush a group of thugs, and, if possible, rescue their hostage…_

The light was blinding as his captors finally removed his blindfold; he was still tied-up, but at least he could see, even though he certainly didn't _like_ what he saw. "Alright, start talking!" an Aggron shouted at him, "tell us your name, now!" The prisoner, an Absol, knew who he was, but he knew his captors would beat him if he didn't give his name as ordered. Even so, if he did, they would kill him, even though all he had done was defend himself from the Aggron's thugs. "Not talkin' huh?" the Aggron continued, a malicious grin upon his face as he kicked his prisoner down. "I oughta teach you the hard way why you shouldn't get in my affairs!" The hostage closed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable death blow.

"Hold it right there!" a voice shouted out of nowhere. Suddenly the Aggron looked around frantically, as did the two Metang that were with him. "What! Who are you!" the Aggron shouted, "Show yourselves!" Everything fell silent for a few seconds before the same voice replied, "you ask us to show ourselves? We do not give in to the demands of criminals!" Both the Aggron and his thugs were taken back by the response, filled with both anger and confidence. "But…if you insist, then we shall be more than happy to oblige!" the voice shouted just as a blinding light engulfed the area. When the light cleared mere seconds later, a Zoroark, Gliscor and Lucario had appeared in front of them! "Hey! I don't know who you are, but get lost unless you wanna share the captive's fate!" The Zoroark moved into a fighting stance before replying, "you obviously don't recognize us. I'm willing to fix that! Team, sound off!" The Gliscor began with the word, "Stealth!" The Zoroark chimed in with, "Skill!" Finally the Lucario finished with , "Courage!" "Avengers! In it to win it!" the three shouted in unison.

"Your flashy moves don't intimidate me, but I can see you're an exploration team" the Aggron replied coldly, "you wanna cause a problem, let's go!" The Zoroark nodded before turning to the Lucario. "Aranam, this will be your final test" he said, "take them out, all three of them!" Aranam, the Lucario, nodded slightly before leaping high into the air and into battle. The battle was as violent as it was brief; within a minute, the Aggron and both his thugs were lying unconscious on the ground. "Well done Aranam, well done!" the Zoroark shouted to him as he ran over and bound the criminals in ropes. "Armand N. Steele" the Zoroark said, "you are under arrest for multiple accounts of grand theft, vandalism, destruction of property, arson, assault and battery, and possession of controlled substances." The Gliscor chuckled slightly before adding in, "in other words Steele, you're gonna be locked up for at least twelve years before you can even get parole!" The Zoroark moved to untie the Absol and had him freed with seconds. "You alright?" he asked. The Absol appeared a bit dazed at what had just occurred but managed to reply, albeit vacantly, "Yeah, I'm fine, I guess…" The Zoroark nodded before calling his teammates. "Let's get back to base!" he shouted, "the Guildmaster will not be happy if we're late to the meeting again!" As the trio ran off, the Absol looked on as he thought, "they rescued me…I'll need to repay them somehow…but how?"

A week later, the Absol was standing just outside the local Explorer's Guild. He had finally decided on how to reward the team, and he was still nervous about it. Slowly, he stepped forward until he noticed he was on top of a grate when a shout rang out, "Visitor, halt!" the Absol froze for a moment until the same voice shouted, "you're clear!" As the gate slowly opened, the Absol walked through tentatively, unsure what lies ahead, even though he knew that at this point, there was no turning back.

He slowly worked his way down a long vertical ladder until he was inside the base, upon which he was virtually blown away at what he saw; exploration teams, hundreds of them from every walk of life and rank. He knew it would be next to impossible to find the team he sought without assistance. Suddenly a Noctowl landed right in front of him; "I'm sorry, but we are not interested in buying anything from you, so go along now" he said, giving a shooing motion with his wings. "Hold it!" the Absol replied, "I'm not a salesman, I'm here to meet with whoever's in charge here, it's important!" The Noctowl paused for a few seconds before he replied as he took out a clipboard and pen, "Very well, but in case this isn't the last time, I'll need your name for our official records." The Absol nodded before replying, "Mcknight…Andre Mcknight."

Moments later, Andre stood with the Noctowl in a dim chamber, and at the very end was a Blaziken, sitting facing away from them and appearing to be in meditation. "Andre, may I present Guildmaster Blaine Incendio" the Noctowl said when he realized that Blaine wasn't paying attention. "Uh…Guildmaster…Blaine?" the Noctowl said as he cautiously approached until he was right behind him when suddenly he was kicked back into the wall behind Andre. "Evan, what did I tell you about interrupting me while I'm meditating?" Blaine asked in a commanding tone that only hinted at his incredible power. "Only if it's important, I know…" Evan replied as he stood back up, "but it's the Absol that wanted to see you." "Ugh…this had better be good…" Blaine muttered as he jumped to his feet and stood with his arms folded across his chest while he looked over his visitor. "The purpose for your visit, what is it?" he asked. "A week ago, one of your exploration teams saved me from a group of thugs" Andre replied, "but I was never able to reward them…I think it was…Avengers?" Blaine smiled slightly at the mention of his top exploration team, as he had recently received a commendation from the World Exploration Team Federation, or WETF for short, for training them. "Ah yes, Team Avengers, one moment please…" Blaine replied as he turned and walked over to what appeared to be a switchboard and pressed a button. "Fenris, get your team to my quarters ASAP!" Blaine shouted. "Yes sir, on our way" replied a voice, obviously via intercom. Blaine turned back to him and said, "expect them in here in...three…two…one…" Just after Blaine had said 'one', the three pokemon that made up Team Avengers filed in to the chamber. "What is it sir?" Fenris, the Zoroark, asked. "Fenris, this is Andre Mcknight, he wanted to see you" Blaine replied. "Andre was about to ask how Blaine knew his name but noticed that he had the clipboard that Evan had written on, thus answering his question. He turned towards the team and found himself trembling from anticipation. _C'mon you fool, it's now or never!_ Andre scolded himself just before he blurted out, "I'd like to join your team!"

Everybody jumped back at this, save Blaine and Aranam, the latter of which not even flinching. "You saved my life the other day" Andre continued, "I feel that in return, I owe you all I can give. It's not a question of me wanting to do this, but one of maintaining my honor _through_ repaying you. It would be a disgrace to allow you to go unrewarded!" Fenris shook his head and laughed, clearly amused. "My boy, we would've let you join anyways!" he exclaimed as he slapped him on the back, almost knocking Andre to the ground. "What!" Andre exclaimed, as did the Gliscor; "He can't join our team, he's just a kid!" he exclaimed. "I'm aware of that Razon" Fenris shot back, "bear in mind however that Aranam's only fifteen, who says Andre can't join?" At this Razon fell silent, Aranam remaining silent and apparently focused on something else. "Really!" Andre exclaimed, "Thanks!" Fenris paused for a bit before adding, "however, I need for you to come up with a single word that describes your greatest asset." _Asset? _Andre thought, _Well, maybe that could work…_ "Honor" he replied, "because unfortunately, most take it for granted, I do not." Fenris smirked slightly before turning back to Blaine; "he will join our team as our number four." He said. Blaine nodded and replied, "Very well then…Avengers, sound off!" Each one of them in order from Razon to Fenris, then Aranam and Andre, all shouted, "Stealth! Skill! Courage! Honor! Avengers, in it to win it!"


	3. Chapter 2: The Relic

Chapter 2 – The Relic

_It has been a full year since Andre McKnight joined Team Avengers. By now he has become a true professional and is considered a valuable member to the team. He seems to have made an impression on all of the other members save Aranam, who for some reason or another remains distant. As a result, Andre knows virtually nothing about his teammate save what the other members have told him, which is that he had no family and that he was a bit of a troublemaker when he first joined the team. Despite this, Andre knows that there's something about him none of them know…what he DOESN'T know is just how close they are to finding out what that is…_

Aranam heard a loud buzzing just as he opened his eyes and sat up; the alarm to begin the day had just sounded…and he was the only one up! "Everyone, rise and shine!" he shouted; no response. "Guys, up and at 'em!" he shouted, this time a bit louder; still no response. _Alright, that's it…_ he thought as he reached under his bed and pulled out a trash can lid and a metal pipe, _this one ALWAYS works…_ He took the pipe and slammed as hard as he could on the lid, causing the other three to jolt wide awake. "Shots fired! Hit the deck!" Razon shouted as he leapt out of bed and knocked Aranam to the ground. "False alarm Razon!" Aranam shouted angrily, "now get off of me and get ready for today's assignment!" Fenris couldn't help but reveal a faint smile, as Aranam was doing exactly as he should, being that Fenris was training him to be his successor someday; he just hoped that day wasn't soon. Andre stumbled off of his bed and shook his head to get the ringing in his ears to stop. "C'mon, was that _really_ necessary?" he whined. "As necessary as Razon is a smart-ass" Aranam shot back, "now c'mon, we don't have time for you to sit around! Get your crap packed up and move it!" Andre rolled his eyes as he packed a bag of supplies, expecting today's assignment to be nothing out of the ordinary.

As each team arrived in the main commons area of the Guild Headquarters, they were accounted for and given their day-to-day assignments. Next it was Team Avengers' turn; "Fenris, I need to speak to you and your team" Blaine said, "it's of the greatest importance." Each of the team members knew that whenever Blaine said 'it's of the greatest importance', he really meant 'what I'm about to tell you is going to blow your mind'. At this, Fenris, Razon and Andre became especially excited, with Aranam remaining the same. "A scouting team has discovered what appeared to be ruins about thirty miles to the south" Blaine said, "and it's indicated that deep within the ruins lies something of untold value…especially to you, Aranam." Aranam suddenly seemed interested, his eyes wide in anticipation. "What do you mean?" he asked. "I'm aware of your interest in certain legends Aranam" Blaine replied, "and this may just have something to do with one of them." The others all turned to him in shock; what legend could he refer to? "Anyways, you'll need to leave by noon today if you want to make any meaningful progress before dark" Blaine, "do your best like always!" "Yes sir!" the four members of Avengers replied. "That's what I like to hear! Avengers, move out!"

Despite the advice given to them, the exploration team still took nearly a week to reach their destination, mainly because of the mountain range between the Guild Headquarters and the ruins. Razon saw them first, and immediately called the others over. It was truly a sight to behold; a high tower lay before them, its walls appearing to be made of solid marble, quite a feat in engineering for a building so old. "I'd never seen anything like this…" Andre said, "this is incredible!" Fenris grinned and nodded; "and that's just the _outside_" he replied. Aranam stared intently at the building until he saw what he had been searching for: the entrance. "This way" he said, pointing the way as he lead them all to the entrance and inside.

The hallways within the tower seemed to stretch on for eternity, the walls dimly lit by curious glowing rocks that brightened and faded as the team passed by. "What types of rocks are those?" Razon asked quietly; "It's called Adamantite, Razon" Aranam replied, "it is a near indestructible gem that glows in the presence of a living creature in resonance with its aura." "Since when did YOU become an expert in geology?" Fenris teased, "you never mentioned that you knew what Adamantite was!" Aranam didn't respond, instead running ahead and blocking the path. "Stop…what's that noise?" he whispered as he peered ahead into a chamber.

In front of him lay a chamber filled with rapidly spinning cleavers, obviously a type of trap. "Great, how do we get through this?" Andre asked when suddenly Fenris took off in a run. He charged into the chamber, effortlessly weaving in and out of the cleaver's paths as he worked his way forward rapidly, soon reaching the other side of the room, upon which he pulled a lever that brought the cleavers to a screeching halt. "Just like that" Fenris replied flatly, "now c'mon, the treasure's still a long way off…" The rest of the team followed, with Andre somewhat dazed at what had just happened. _Since when was Fenris so fast?_ He thought.

After climbing a flight of stairs and progressing down yet another hallway, the team arrived in yet another room, this one having three chests in it, and at the back of the room, a large door. "This isn't the treasure we're here for…" Razon said as he glided over to the door. When he tried to push it open, however, it didn't move. "Hmm, it's locked…" he muttered before he turned to the others and asked, "does anyone have an idea were the key is?" "Well…I would assume they're in one of these chests…" Fenris replied as he moved to open one when Andre got in the way. "This one's booby-trapped" Andre said forcefully, "I can sense it." Fenris knew better than to doubt Andre, as his innate ability to sense impending danger had saved his tail multiple times by now. "Alright, then which one is it?" Fenris asked; Andre looked at the other two closely, until he realized that, in fact, ALL of them were rigged with some type of trap that would trigger upon opening. He suddenly slammed into the one in the center, knocking it away to reveal a small trap door, which he opened to reveal the key. "Clever…VERY clever…" Fenris muttered, "who could've built this place?" Fenris picked up the key and walked over to the door. He inserted the key into the slot, and with a loud groan, the old lock gave way and the door slowly opened. "Well, we won't find anything sitting around here" Fenris said, "let's move!"

A while later, Avengers had entered yet another chamber, but unlike the previous ones, it was a dead end; "Dammit! I can't believe this!" Andre shouted in frustration, "it's a dead end!" Razon, meanwhile, carefully analyzing the wall when suddenly he had the idea of knocking on it. To his shock, the wall seemed to be hollow, which meant that all he had to do was hit it and hit it hard. Razon grinned when he realized the simplicity of the challenge. "Stand back and cover your ears everyone!" he shouted, "Stuff's about to start flying!" Razon moved back a bit and focused, drew back his massive right claw, and smashed the door through using Stone Edge. When the dust finally cleared, Razon was standing triumphantly on top of a large slab of rock. He stood aside and gestured towards the opening. "After you" he said with a wide grin. "That was resourceful of you Razon" Fenris replied, "Blunt, but resourceful…" "Whatever, the treasure cant much further ahead, let's go." Razon said as he followed the others into the hallway.

By now it was not only dark, but very cold in the hallways, suggesting that they were very far into the ruins; in Aranam's mind, they had to be close, or else they may never make it back out. Suddenly, Andre shouted, "Look over here! Another chamber!" Quickly, the rest of the team ran to his side and was nothing short of stunned of what lay before them. It was a massive chamber, brightly lit by glowing Adamantite crystals, each somehow carved into ornate shapes that none of them had ever seen before, but what really caught their attention lay on a pedestal in the center of the room; it was a small chest, clearly illuminated by the light from the crystals. "This…this is like a _dream_!" Andre exclaimed, "no, it's _beyond_ my wildest dreams!" To his surprise, however, Aranam was already walking slowly into the chamber. "Aranam, get back here!" Fenris ordered, "there might be more traps." "There aren't any" Aranam replied as he moved ever closer to the center of the room, "if there was, I would sense them." Fenris and Razon groaned and rolled their eyes; they couldn't see Aura like Aranam could, and as a result they often had a hard time understanding why Aranam could say that there's no danger even when, visibly, it seems that attack is imminent, but they also knew that Aranam, despite his young age, was no fool. Finally, Aranam was at the pedestal and looked at the chest for a few moments. _I don't know what's in there…_ he thought, _this could be worthless or priceless, or it could even change my life forever…for better or for worse, I must take that risk._ Slowly, Aranam raised the lid of the chest and carefully removed the sole content of the chest; it was a scroll of some sort, obviously dating back to centuries before his time. He wondered what it might be hiding, but he also knew that if he wasn't careful, he could damage it beyond recognition, so he slid it into the bag he carried on his back. "What is it Aranam?" Fenris asked. "It's…a type of scroll, and very old…" he replied, "I have no idea why it could be so valuable as to place all these traps but…" He was cut off as suddenly he could detect hostile auras. Six, no, seven enemies were approaching from above. "Everyone, get down!" he shouted as he jumped away, the others following suit just as seven pokemon appeared.

The seven attackers consisted of a Garchomp, Tyrannitar, Drapion, Infernape, Luxray, Rhyperior and Zangoose, all appearing to have been in many battles throughout their lives. "You there!" the Garchomp shouted, pointing at Aranam, "hand over that scroll!" The first thing that came to Aranam's mind was 'thieves', but suddenly it occurred to him that they would have no interest in the scroll if they were mere thieves, which lead him to assume that they might be guardians. "Try and take it!" Aranam shouted forcefully, "I'll defeat all of you myself to get this scroll out of here!" The Garchomp grinned widely at his response, catching Aranam off guard; "You are incredibly brave, that I now know" he said, "so we'll give you a test: fight _all_ of us. If you win, you can leave with the scroll, but if you lose…you'll perish here." "I accept!" Aranam replied confidently. "No, Aranam!" Fenris shouted before turning towards Razon, "Razon, take them out, now!" "Gladly!" Razon replied as he lunged forward at Garchomp. The Mach pokemon shifted out of the way almost too fast to follow before bringing a Dragon Claw attack right across Razon's face. "Argh!" Razon screamed in pain as he slammed into the ground. He quickly staggered to his feet, but was grasping the right side of his face, shielding it with his claw. Aranam realized, to his horror, that Razon had been blinded in the right eye by the Garchomp's Dragon Claw; this infuriated him and made him glow violet-blue from his Aura. Seemingly in an instant, all except the Garchomp were on the ground, knocked out. The dragon-type recoiled in shock at Aranam's ferocity when provoked. _Perhaps…perhaps THIS is the one the Oracle mentioned…_ he thought just as Aranam came to a halt, still as angry as when he began. "You'll pay for harming my friend!" Aranam shouted furiously, "do not underestimate my power!" The Garchomp only gave the faintest hint of a smile and replied, "Show me."

Aranam didn't hesitate for an instant before going on the offensive with Extremespeed, which Garchomp dodged seemingly without any effort before retaliating with Dragon Rush. Aranam again used Extremespeed, first to evade the attack then counterattack, catching Garchomp by surprise. Garchomp staggered slightly but seemed only minimally harmed; many years of training had made him a lot tougher than an ordinary Garchomp, as well as a lot faster, which, needless to say, meant that Aranam was in for a long match, as Andre and Fenris were busy tending to Razon's wound. "Don't be a fool, Boy" he taunted, "you're way out of your league!" "On the contrary, I've hardly shown my full power!" Aranam shot back as he launched a frenzied Close Combat attack, striking Garchomp many times and causing an immense amount of damage. Garchomp leapt away and caught his breath, but was nevertheless amazed; despite all of his efforts, Aranam was faster, tougher _and_ stronger than _he _was, which now lead him to believe more and more that he was indeed the one the Oracle was referring to. "It seems I've underestimated you, Boy" Garchomp replied with a grin, "You're tough, but not tough enough!" Garchomp struck back with Giga Impact, but alas he missed Aranam yet again; when he tried to recover, he found it was too late. He felt himself in a powerful grip which he instantly recognized as a Psychic attack. Aranam gestured towards a wall, slamming Garchomp into it, then another wall, then another before letting go. Garchomp staggered back to his feet and launched himself at Aranam for a Giga Impact attack, but was slammed right in the head by Aranam's Aura Sphere. After being slammed into the wall a final time, the Mach pokemon at last fell in defeat.

Just as Aranam calmed down, he heard a rumbling noise that rapidly grew louder, as well as a cracking sound that made him realize that turning his opponent into a wrecking ball was a big mistake, as now it would bring the entire ruin down on their heads! Fenris saw this and immediately ran to the center of the room before he thrust out his arms and used Psychic to try and shift the ruins back into stability, but the cascading effect of destruction meant that Fenris' efforts were doomed from the start, and therefore, so was he, but there was still one thing he could do. "Aranam!" Fenris shouted, "You, Andre and Razon, need to get out of here, now!" "No Fenris, I'm not leaving without you!" Aranam shouted back frantically when he realized what Fenris meant. "You _have_ to!" Fenris shouted back with greater urgency, "if I don't do this, we'll _all_ die! At least this way part of the Team survives!" Aranam wanted to shout back at him when he realized that Fenris was right, they had no other option. "Aranam, listen to me…" Fenris continued, obviously strained, "You…you were the best…explorer…I'd ever met…the Team is yours…to lead now…I can only buy you a few minutes…before…this whole thing collapses!" Aranam was almost stunned, despite knowing that in the end, he had to get out of there, or Fenris' death would have been for nothing, and that he couldn't allow. "Avengers, retreat!" Aranam shouted as he lifted Razon onto his shoulders and ran out with Andre as the halls began to collapse on them. Fenris watched them go as he felt the last of his strength begin to wan, and after a few moments, Fenris, now accepting his fate, relaxed and let go…

"…And that's what happened, Blaine…" Aranam said mournfully, "Fenris…is no more." Blaine simply sighed, turned around and said, "he was my first apprentice as a Guildmaster, and definitely my best…" he replied, "now it seems we must soldier on without him, with you in his place…he will be greatly missed." Since Team Avengers had returned from their expedition just at daybreak that morning, Fenris' demise had hit the Guild like a bomb; everything had literally stopped, no assignments, no missions, no outlaws, nothing. Now, two hours later, everyone from every team was seated at a large table that served as both a dining room and meeting room, the seat on Blaine's left, the one normally occupied by Fenris, remained empty. Blaine looked each one at the table in the eyes before raising a mug in the air and declaring, "to Fenris!" "To Fenris!" everyone repeated, taking a drink of what in most cases was water save Blaine, who, based on his preferences and being a fire-type, had coffee. "Say Aranam" Andre said suddenly, "what was on that scroll?" Andre's words immediately caused a stir amongst the other team members, and pretty soon, everyone demanded to find out what it was. "Shut Up!" Aranam shouted angrily, causing everyone to fall silent, even Razon, who was now sporting a black eye-patch covering where he was struck by the Garchomp at the ruins. "I'll read it, just be patient…" Aranam continued as he pulled the scroll out of his bag and cleared his throat as he stood up, all eyes upon him now. He carefully opened the scroll to see a map, of some areas he recognized, and others he didn't. _A treasure map?_ he thought as he followed the map further down until he saw a date: March 2nd, 1420, and below that, a note written in Unown in the center of the map. He began to read the note aloud:

_To whomever this may concern,_

_If you are in possession of this scroll, then the Oracle's prophecy has begun to unfold. Whomsoever shall best the Seven Knights and retrieve the key to the Lost Kingdom is truly worthy of the victory. This scroll you behold in your palms is the key to the once great nation of Arcceonn!_

Upon reading this there was a low murmer; "Arcceonn's just a legend, it can't exist!" one of the explorers, a Primeape, shouted, "it doesn't really say that!" "Can you read Unown?" Aranam replied in challenge. The Primeape fell silent and turned away sheepishly. "Anyways…" Aranam said seemingly without emotion, even though by now his heart was racing with excitement. He continued:

_No matter how much the cost, you have succeeded where many others, by your time, have failed, but it is natural for you to succeed, for it is your ancestor that once said, "There will be many hardships ahead of all of us in life, but even in the deepest shadows, a light shines within". That is why you, brave and noble warrior, are the rightful heir to the dynasty of Raynar II, and therefore the heir to the Sovereignty of Arcceonn!_

At that everyone was so shocked that no one said a word; even Aranam was visibly caught off guard. "What!" he exclaimed "Raynar II was my ancestor!" Blaine was the first to speak up; "I don't know Aranam…" Blaine said, seemingly calm but in reality was as excited as Aranam was, "but…do you realize what this means!" Aranam didn't know where Blaine was going and so didn't respond; "you've discovered a lost kingdom, so what do you think we're doing next!" At this, Aranam could no longer contain himself; "Are you serious! An expedition!" he exclaimed, "you know that Arcceonn is across hundreds of miles of open ocean, right? No one in their right frame of mind would swim _that_ far!" "Don't worry! I have that taken care of already!" Blaine replied ecstatically before turning to the other guild members, "Explorers, tomorrow at Dawn, we leave on the Expedition of the Century, we will be the first in over five centuries to set foot on Arcceonn's soil; this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and for one will not miss it! Who's with me!" The guild erupted into a frenzied uproar in approval of Blaine's plan before he silenced them again. "All we need now is a Leader…" he continued just before turning to Aranam, "and it's only natural that _you_ take that role Aranam!"

"But…I can't!" Aranam exclaimed in protest, "I...I'm just not the type to lead! You've got the wrong guy!" "You would've been Fenris' first and only choice, Aranam; if you won't do it for yourself, do it for him!" Blaine shouted back, "We need you!" Aranam was about to protest when Razon added, "I have faith in you Aranam, you can do it!" "I agree, you're the only choice we've got, don't let us down!" Andre said. Aranam looked at his teammates in shock, who only nodded in reply. Aranam looked back at Blaine, then Evan, then the rest of the guild until finally he shouted, "My fellow explorers, tomorrow we leave for Arcceonn!"


	4. Chapter 3: Arcceonn

Chapter 3 – Arcceonn

_The scroll Team Avengers discovered at the ruins was a map to the long-lost kingdom of Arcceonn, abandoned since the early fifteenth century. With great resolve and the support of the entire guild, Aranam K'Tal can finally realize a childhood dream of his: rediscovering the lost land his ancestors once called home…_

It was daybreak, the sun's rays just barely breaking the horizon. The air buzzed with activity, the different exploration teams bustling about and loading supplies onto three ships; they were all relatively small, the largest of the group being a small schooner, whilst the lead boat had once been a small yacht. Aranam stood at the bow of this boat, looking off towards the rising sun in the East. Ahead of them lay the adventure of a lifetime, and he had a hard time believing that it was nearly time to leave. "That should do it Aranam; we're all set to leave!" Andre shouted as he climbed back on deck from below. "Very good" Aranam replied before he pointed to Razon. "Razon, hoist the colors!" In the light of the rising sun, three flags were risen to the top of the boat's mast; the first was the Team Avenger Banner, the second was of the Blast Burner Guild, and at the very top, the proud white and crimson banner of Arcceonn, authentic in every way thanks to Aranam's research. That was the signal that it was time to leave, and so the moorings were released, the sails unfolded, and the trio of ships turned towards the east as their adventure began.

For the first few hours, everything was peaceful and it seemed like smooth sailing ahead; that is, for everyone except Andre, who was busy chucking up his breakfast over the side. "Couldn't hold down your breakfast, eh Andre?" Razon teased. "_This_ is why I hate being on boats!" Andre shot back angrily, "you're a ground type,_ you_ should be the one getting seasick!" Razon laughed and leaned back against the mast as he replied, "well, sailing is like flying, the thermals feel just like these waves!" Andre was about to reply with a snide comment when he quickly had to put his head over the side again as he continued blowing chunks. "I didn't know you get seasick Andre…" Aranam said when he suddenly came out from the wheelhouse. "Well…now you do…" Andre replied miserably, "Just…don't offer me any lunch, okay?" "Alright, suit yourself" Aranam replied when he noticed large clouds on the horizon, and they were headed right into it. He had been warned that a massive typhoon lay ahead, but he thought they could make it before it came through. Now they were plowing into it head-on. Aranam rushed to the stern and signaled the other two to expect a bumpy ride up ahead. "We're sailing head-on into a typhoon!" Andre exclaimed, finally noticing what Aranam had. "No kidding!" Aranam shouted, "We'll make it through, trust me!" Razon looked at the brewing storm and grinned, knowing that there was a remote chance they were being tested, and this time, he wouldn't fail.

As soon as they reached the outer limits of the typhoon, it already felt as if Team Avengers had stumbled into the storm of the century. The waves easily broke forty to fifty feet, the boat riding them up and down like a rollercoaster. "Why did we have to run into a typhoon!" Andre exclaimed in frustration as he ducked down, trying to stay out of the howling winds and torrential rain. Aranam, as he wrestled with the wheel, was also beginning to think that something was against them, conspiring to wipe them out at all costs. He looked up to see, to his astonishment, Razon at the top of the mast, and by the looks of it, he was _mad_. "What! Is this all you've got! You call this a _storm_!" Razon raved as he hung on to the mast, "I _know_ you can do better than _that_! C'mon, right now, you and me! Let's go!" Just after Razon shouted this, a massive bolt of lightning struck him right on the head; Aranam was hesitant to look back up, as was Andre, but when they did, they realized that Razon was completely unfazed; being a ground type, he probably didn't even _notice_ the lightning bolt, let alone felt it. "Ha-ha! Really! That's it!" Razon shouted, "We're the _invincible_ Team Avengers! We shall _never_ fall!" Andre looked up at Aranam, and Aranam back at him; they both shook their heads and continued wrestling with the boat to keep it going in a straight line. Suddenly, the waves were weakening, and as soon as the storm had come, it had suddenly disappeared. Aranam looked out towards the horizon when he noticed that the sun was now behind them, meaning that it was now nearly dark, but that wasn't what caught his attention; there was a small line on the horizon, and when they got just a bit closer, Aranam couldn't believe it. They had found land! He took note of the other two ships, which were still following them, and signaled them that land was just ahead. "Guys! There it is!" Aranam shouted, pointing towards the east. Razon and Andre immediately ran to his side and were nothing short of awestruck. "We made it! We made it!" Andre exclaimed ecstatically. "I knew it was just a test!" Razon exclaimed, "That typhoon was _nothing_!" Aranam and Andre rolled their eyes, remembering what happened the _last_ time Razon had become overconfident.

It took another eight hours before the boat ground to a halt on the shore of the Arcceonn Region, by which time it was early the next morning, not even dawn yet. The three boats carrying the guild had finally landed, but by the looks of them, only the largest of the group was still seaworthy; the others would be cannibalized to build dwellings for the outpost. Aranam stood next to Blaine, discussing their next course of action. "So now that we're here, what do you suppose we do first?" Blaine asked. "I would suggest starting on the construction of some dwellings and perhaps a trading post" Aranam replied, "in the meantime; I'll take my team and scout the surrounding area." "Good thinking Aranam, but first…" Blaine said as he took a long post out of a nearby crate, wrapped around it being what appeared to be a flag, "you see that tall hill? Take your team and raise this flag at the top of the hill." Aranam nodded as he took the flag and went off to find his team.

"Who are these strangers?" muttered Gallen, a Gallade, as he watched the group from his hiding place beyond the shoreline. "Not a clue, Gallen, but I would think it's a bit too soon to call them a threat, or else make contact with them" replied a Sceptile. Gallen would like to agree with Zane, the Sceptile, but he knew to be cautious at all times, especially with strangers; his sister thought he was paranoid, but he knew she was still young, and hoped that one day, she would understand his reasoning. "Do you think this could be the group Draco referred to?" Zane asked. "Nah" Gallen replied, "according to Draco there was three of them, but I see at least _thirty_ of them, so I doubt it." Suddenly a light could be seen on the horizon; Gallen was not particularly into watching the sunrise, but something inside him urged him to look. He turned towards the East, where a hill just barely blocked the sun, and as the Sun's rays broke over the top, he was nothing short of awestruck. There were two, no, three pokemon he could make out against the glare, all working together to raise something that slowly unfurled and revealed itself as a flag. Gallen's eyes grew wide upon seeing it was the flag of the lost kingdom, one that had not flown in over five centuries. "This…this _can't_ be them! They're imposters!" Gallen said furiously as he slowly stood up. "Gallen, don't attack!" Zane pleaded, trying to stop Gallen, but it was too late. Gallen had leapt from his hiding place and was charging up the hill, intent on attacking the perceived imposters.

"Now isn't this a beautiful sight?" Aranam said as he looked over the landscape, an untamed wilderness, ripe for exploration. "I've never seen anything like it…" Andre muttered when suddenly the fur on his back stood on end. "Aranam, look out!" he shouted as a Gallade appeared behind them and leapt at Aranam to attack. Aranam spun around to face him and caught the Blade pokemon's forearms between his palms before pushing them away and kicking him back. The Gallade stumbled slightly and fell, but immediately leapt to his feet as if nothing happened. He charged again, the violet glow of his arms indicating he was using Psycho Cut. Aranam ducked beneath his foe's slashes and slammed him skywards with a Sky Uppercut attack. The Gallade fell back to the ground with a loud thud, but again leapt back to his feet as if nothing had happened.

Gallen felt severe pain all over his body from his impact with the ground, but he had learned ways to turn that pain into power, and he was determined not to give his foe the satisfaction of knowing he was winning. _No…_ he thought _he's not winning, the fight's just begun!_ Gallen stared at Aranam, the two of them circling at a distance; his opponent, a Lucario, appeared quite powerful, and his eyes betrayed no emotion whatsoever, the signs of someone who lived for battle, a true warrior. _This could be interesting…_ Gallen thought as the two stopped circling. He attacked again with a twin Psycho Cut attack, but just as his foe attempted to counter, Gallen teleported behind the Lucario to deliver his strike, but to his astonishment, his foe had anticipated his move perfectly, and promptly spun around to slam a Blaze Kick attack into the side of his head. Gallen staggered back several feet, his head reeling from the impact. By the time he recovered, it was his turn to be on the defensive, as his foe was already firing away with a flurry of Bullet Punch attacks. Gallen was slammed back to the ground as was about to get up when he realized his foe was already about to attack again, this time with a full-powered Aura Sphere attack from a distance. _I really screwed up this time…_ he thought in dismay.

Aranam was about to unleash his Aura Sphere when suddenly another had appeared, this one a Sceptile, whom was now between him and the Gallade. "That's enough!" the Sceptile shouted before he turned around and picked the Gallade up by the shoulders. "Gallen, you idiot!" he shouted furiously, "I told you, don't attack!" "I only heard the 'attack' part…" the Gallade replied with obvious sarcasm. "Don't give that excuse again!" the Sceptile replied with even greater fury. _This is getting a bit too noisy for this time of day…_ Aranam thought as he withdrew his Aura Sphere and walked over to them before he forcefully shoved them apart. "Alright you two, break it up!" he shouted angrily, "what in Arceus' name is going on here!" The Sceptile stood back up and replied, "please excuse Gallen, he's suspicious of everyone…" Aranam turned around to face him before replying, "And…you are?" "Liefson. Zane Liefson" the Sceptile replied, "And my friend there is Gallen Sorenson, a Knight's Apprentice." Aranam's eyes widened at the word 'Knight'; perhaps Arcceonn was never truly abandoned. "Tell me more…" Aranam said.

Back on the beach, Zane had just finished explaining to the guild about the locals and their traditions. "We expect you to respect our traditions, as we will honor yours" Zane finished, "any questions?" "Yes, why Gallen attack me?" Aranam asked. "Oh, that…" Zane replied, "he believes in some old folktale that the first foreigner to land on Arcceonn would be descended of our late King, but I have a hard time believing any of that!" Everyone remained silent, which visibly shocked Zane. "Don't tell me, one of you fits that description!" Zane asked frantically. Everyone suddenly pointed to Aranam, the latter blushing slightly at being put in the spotlight. "I…I don't believe it! That can't be true!" Zane exclaimed when suddenly a large amount of sand was thrown into the air; when it settled, Aranam could see a very familiar Garchomp. "It's you!" Aranam exclaimed, "you're the one from the cave!" Whereas Aranam was shocked, Razon was furious; "What! You again!" he shouted angrily as he attempted to attack Garchomp, all while Aranam and Andre desperately tried to restrain him, "You bastard! I'll show you to take my eye out!" "Don't swear, it's unprofessional" the Garchomp replied sternly before turning towards Gallen, whom, even for his natural color, was white from fear. "I told you it was only a matter of time before you choose the wrong battle, my Apprentice" the Garchomp said sternly, "And as usual, you refuse to heed my warnings. How do you expect to become a Knight if you act so recklessly!" "I apologize for disobeying you Sir Draco" Gallen replied, hanging his head in shame, "it won't happen again." "I hope so" Draco, the Garchomp, said, "because the next time, you may not be so lucky to be spared a most painful death."

"Hold it!" Aranam exclaimed, "you're a…" "Yes, I am a Knight of Arcceonn, one of the last of a great dynasty." He turned back towards Aranam with the same stern look he gave Gallen and replied, "you may the heir to your ancestor's throne, but as of yet, you are still inexperienced and just as reckless as my apprentice. You are far from ready to lead an entire nation…" Aranam was stunned by this; everyone had been saying he was a great leader, but he knew different, and Sir Draco had just confirmed it. "I understand" Aranam replied, "there is a distinct difference between knowledge and wisdom." "Precisely" Draco replied, "Knowledge is power, butwisdom is how one uses that power. Likewise, we must learn to know whether the wisdom with which we use our knowledge is for the benefit of one's self or the benefit of civilization as a whole..." He turned around, sighed, and added, "come along now, you and your team, I'll show you to the village." Just as he started to walk away, he turned and said, "That means you too, Gallen. Zane you're free to remain here at your discretion" Hesitantly, Gallen stood back up and joined Draco at his side as he lead Team Avengers towards their settlement.


	5. Chapter 4: New Insight

Chapter 4 – New Insight

_After a somewhat hectic introduction to the local population, courtesy of Gallen Sorenson, Team Avengers has decided to accompany Sir Draco, a Knight of Arcceonn, to his village, where supposedly the last descendants of the original inhabitants of Arcceonn lived together. Aranam was a bit disturbed when Draco called him 'reckless', but he understood that he was probably too inexperienced to lead a whole nation anyways, all he hopes is that he can discover the secret to what happened in Arcceonn, so that maybe, he could prevent it from happening again…_

"Here we are" Draco said as he lead the group into a clearing; the village was relatively small, but nevertheless bustled with activity. As Sir Draco and Gallen entered with the newcomers behind them, Aranam could notice some stopping to stare at them. "This is awkward…" Razon muttered. "Keep it down; you don't want to offend them…" Andre muttered back when he noticed Draco had taken them to a small building near the center of the village. "This is my home" Draco said flatly, "but I share my dwelling with my Apprentice and his sister." "Uh…sister? Who's his sister?" Andre asked when the door opened. A Gardevoir stepped out and walked over to Gallen before embracing him; "Hey there Elaine" Gallen said with a smile. Elaine smiled but tensed up suddenly when she noticed the newcomers, staring straight into Andre's eyes. Andre was as shocked as she was, but for a different reason than Elaine. _She's beautiful!_ Andre thought, _and I thought the region's appearance couldn't be beat…well, it just was._ Razon noticed Andre gawking at Elaine and waved a claw in front of his face. "Uh, Andre" he said, "you alright?" "What? Oh yes, I'm fine…" Andre replied, suddenly turning away to avoid Elaine's gaze. "Elaine, this is Team Avengers, a group of Explorers who discovered this region" Draco said, "their leader is the Lucario, Aranam; the Gliscor is named Razon, and the Absol, Andre." Elaine stood up straight and nodded; "A pleasure" she replied, glancing intermittently towards Andre. _What's wrong with him?_ she thought _he seems so…nervous._ "Enough with the introductions" Draco said, "now come, I'll show you to the Oracle." As the team walked away, Andre gave Elaine one last glance before turning back around and following his team.

The oracle's dwelling was rather similar, but was much darker inside; it was dimly lit by several torches, but what caught Raynar's attention is that there was not one, but _two_ different pokemon there. One of them, a Dusknoir, inquired "Is it true? Was he supposed to arrive on this day?" "I'd like to think so, so the answer would be yes" replied another, much more feminine voice from a source Aranam couldn't identify. "Pardon the interruption, but we have some guests" Draco said as he stepped aside for Team Avengers to enter; the Dusknoir turned around and narrowed his single red eye as he looked over the new arrivals. "Who might you be?" he asked. "I am Aranam K'Tal, leader of Team Avengers, and this is Razon and Andre respectively" he replied, gesturing to his teammates. The Dusknoir gave the closest thing to a smirk he could give and replied while giving a low bow, "We were expecting you Aranam; I am Dallon Lettos, the Village Historian." "Uh…nice to meet you Dallon" Aranam replied, somehow feeling a bit uneasy about speaking to a ghost type in a dimly lit room. "You've arrived as expected" said the same feminine voice from earlier just as an Espeon stepped out from the shadows. Aranam was taken aback by her; based on her appearance; she could be no older than he was. "This is the Oracle, Vera" Draco said, "her mother, the last Oracle, died mysteriously about a year ago, so despite Vera's age, she took over where her mother left off." "I'm sorry to hear that…" Aranam said sympathetically, "but…why is it you expected my arrival?" Dallon turned around, sighed and replied, "it's a prophesy that dates back centuries…long ago, in the latter half of the fourteenth century, Arcceonn was at war, fighting for its independence after nearly twenty years of rule under the Wyvernian Empire…" Dallon took a breath before turning back around to face Aranam as he continued, "The Arcceonn Liberation Army, or ALA, was lead by your ancestor, Raynar II, whom successfully rallied his forces and freed Arcceonn…" Aranam knew that much of it from his research, but he knew that Dallon wasn't finished yet. "Fifty years later, his grandson, Raynar IV, rules Arcceonn in much the same way that his predecessors had" Dallon replied, "but five years into his reign, a horrible plague swept through the region, killing the majority of the region's inhabitants. Raynar IV had no choice but to flee, but before he did, he made a promise: that although he may never return, one day, his descendant would return in his place and carry on his legacy, and with you Aranam, that promise has been fulfilled." "Sounds like the plot of a movie!" Razon exclaimed jokingly. "It's no laughing matter Razon" Dallon replied coldly, "honor our history, and we'll honor yours. Have I made myself clear?" "Crystal" Razon replied flatly while silently amused at the irony that both he and Dallon each had only one eye.

About an hour later, Team Avengers, Draco, Gallen, Elaine, Dallon and Vera all sat outside of Draco's home, discussing some things when Gallen spoke up. "Andre, I saw how you were staring at Elaine" he said sternly, "my advice for you: don't. It's a bad idea." "I wasn't staring at her" Andre replied with a slightly annoyed tone. "Yeah you were!" Gallen shot back coldly. "Was not!" Andre shouted angrily. "Was too!" Gallen replied with equal fury as the two attempted to maul each other before Draco got in the way. "If you want to settle this petty dispute through the use of violence, fine by me, but you will do so in an honorable manner!"

A minute later, Gallen and Andre were standing on opposite sides of a battle arena of slightly larger than average size, and in a perfect circle. "At the east, Gallen Sorenson!" Dallon announced in his role as a referee, "at the west, Andre McKnight! Face your opponent…bow…and begin!" Gallen was the first to attack and, unlike his battle with Aranam, landed several strikes before Andre could react, knocking the latter flying. He landed inches from the edge of the ring but quickly moved away as he knew that he could lose by either getting a ring-out or being knocked out. He moved just in time to avoid Gallen's Leaf Blade before going on the offensive himself, attacking with Night Slash using the blade on his head. Gallen parried each blow and counterattacked when he could, his attacks being parried by Andre's own blade.

As the two fought, everyone was awe-struck at the ferocity with which Andre fought; it was as if somebody had killed him, only for him to come back to obtain revenge. Even Aranam and Andre had never seen him fight so hard, and it became clear to Aranam why that was. _This isn't about his ego…_ he thought _he's trying to impress Elaine…that must be the reason, or else he wouldn't fight so hard!_ Dallon, on the other hand, was having far different thoughts; _his power is immense! _Dallon thought, _perhaps he can be of some use, whether or not he's on our side…_

Eventually, Andre forced an opening in Gallen's defenses, which Andre exploited with a savage Megahorn attack, launching Gallen high into the air and out of the ring. Gallen, far from knocked out, knew that regardless of his will to continue, had been knocked out of the ring, and in doing so, had lost. It humiliated him greatly, but he now had a benchmark for which he could train. Andre, on the other hand, snapped out of his rage and collapsed from exhaustion. Aranam and Razon ran to his side, and, to their surprise, so did Elaine. "You took a beating out there Hot-Shot!" Razon exclaimed with a wide grin, "but you pulled through as always!" "Yeah…" Andre muttered, "hey Elaine?" "Yes?" Elaine replied, not quite sure what to make of what had just happened. "Your brother's a good fighter, he'll go far one day, I know it…"


	6. Chapter 5: Exploration

Chapter 5– Exploration

_Despite Aranam being among allies in the village, he still wanted to see more of the region. In light of this, he has decided to consider having several of the locals come with him on the expedition, among whom would be Gallen, Vera, Elaine and Dallon. Assuming they don't encounter any threats, the seven of them should be able to pull through quite easily, but perhaps it may not be so easy, as there are indeed those whose intentions are far from pure…_

A few hours after their battle, Gallen and Andre have remained silent towards each other, and now as they sat in a group along with the rest of Team Avengers, Draco, Elaine, Vera and Dallon, the tension between them clearly shown in their occasional glances at each other, seemingly overflowing with ill intent towards the other. "I'm very grateful for your hospitality" Aranam said, "but I came here to explore and map the region, so I'll need to take my team and get going." "Well if you're going to explore Arcceonn, you'll need a guide" Dallon replied, "and I volunteer myself to fulfill that role." "Thank you Dallon, I appreciate your service" Aranam replied, "but we also need somebody good at reading a map and navigating through means other than a compass." Suddenly, Vera's ears seemed to perk up slightly; she turned towards Aranam and replied, "I will go." "As will I" Elaine added in. "Oh no you don't, you're not going _anywhere_!" Gallen shouted in irritation, "not without me!" At this, Aranam had a slightly mischievous grin as he replied, "Thank you for volunteering yourself Gallen!" "What!" Gallen exclaimed, realized he had set a trap for himself without even realizing it, "No, I am _not_ going!" "Yes your are Gallen" Draco replied sternly, "team-building is an important skill set for a Knight." Gallen started to protest when Draco added forcefully, "You're going with them, end of story! Bye-Bye, see you later!" Gallen sat there with his mouth wide open in shock as Draco simply stood up and walked away, probably amused with himself. "Welcome to the team Gallen!" Razon exclaimed as he slapped Gallen on the back, although it was a bit too hard, as evidenced by his scream from pain as he was slammed into the ground. "Uh…Gallen, you okay?" Razon asked sheepishly.

"Okay, so I'm going with you, but that doesn't mean I have to like it…" Gallen said half under his breath. "Yes it does" Dallon replied, "Follow Sir Draco's instructions and cooperate." Aranam, meanwhile, had finished packing supplies into each of several bags that he, Dallon, Andre and Gallen would each be carrying; they each weighed nearly sixty pounds, and so would be a lot of weight on each of them, but he knew that at least his team could handle the extra weight, and he was almost certain that Dallon and Gallen could handle it as well. "Alright, we all set?" Aranam asked. "Yep, ready to go" Andre replied. "Ditto" Razon and Gallen said. "All set" both Elaine and Vera replied at the same time. "Preparations complete, I'm ready" Dallon replied with a nod. Aranam, half-smiling that it was finally time to move, lifted his bag on to his back as he beckoned for the others to follow. "We'll have to cross the mountain range to the Northwest if we want to get to the rest of the region, so let's go!"

Many hours later, the group had made it quite far, but by now it was sunset; nevertheless, they were ascending the highest mountain in the Barrier Range, Mount Resolve, and were determined to climb it at all costs before the sun went down. "I'd never thought I'd be going this far from home, what a rush!" Elaine exclaimed. "At one point, neither did I Elaine" Andre replied as he walked next to her, "that is…until one day I stepped on one too many toes in the criminal underground back where I came from…" After Andre finished telling Elaine his story she nodded and seemed to laugh slightly. "So you were once a thief, which explains why you fight so hard!" Elaine exclaimed, forcing a laugh out of Andre, and even out of Razon. "Well, you gotta have street smarts where I grew up" Andre replied, "which meant you had to live a lifestyle where you were always on your tail…but that didn't save me from Armand Steele's Mafia…it was actually Aranam who saved me from them, and he was the reason why I joined Team Avengers about a week later." "So what happened to this Fenris you keep mentioning?" Vera asked. "He perished at the ruins where we found the map to Arcceonn" Aranam replied, "and it was because of me…" Elaine and Gallen seemed equally moved by this, but Vera reacted differently; she walked up to Aranam's side and replied, "You're too hard on yourself Aranam, Fenris _chose_ to give his life to save yours and that of the rest of his Team, and for all we know, there was no other way." Aranam nodded and turned back ahead before muttering, "but it still hurts all the same…"

About two hours later, the Sun had almost completely set, but the Team had finally reached the summit of Mount Resolve. "Whoa…look at these!" Aranam exclaimed as he looked around at the ruins surrounding him, with a large statue near the back. He took a few steps forwards when suddenly something seemed to shift, and the wind, a moment ago being a light breeze, had completely stopped. _Do not be discouraged_ a voice said in Aranam's head, prompting him to search for the source until he realized it was in his head, _Your skill is great, but not when alone. You must have the determination to win, and that determination must be stronger than any metal. If you use that will to win, you shall succeed…_ Suddenly a massive tremor forced the whole team, save Dallon, onto the ground, until something burst up from the ground. "It can't be!" Dallon exclaimed, prompting Aranam to look up. Aranam was no more than fifty feet away from the mighty steel golem, Registeel, which he knew was not a good place to be in. As Aranam rose back to his feet, he noticed that Registeel's seven red eyes were fixed upon him, and nobody else, and only now did Aranam realize that he was supposed to fight it. "Alright, so you want to fight" Aranam said, "I accept your challenge!" "What! Aranam, you'll be killed!" Andre exclaimed, but Dallon blocked him before he could try to aid his friend. "If he is who I think he is, then he will be victorious" Dallon replied, "I have faith that he could win…" At this, Registeel began its advance, and the battle had begun!

Aranam leapt to attack from above, only to be caught off guard when Registeel caught his leg and threw him back, slamming him into the ground. "Wow, you're fast for one so heavy…" Aranam taunted, the foe not responding in any way. Registeel raised a fist in the air and slammed it into the ground, setting off a violent tremor that forced Aranam to his knees to avoid being knocked over. Before Aranam could recover, Registeel was upon him, and had launched him high in the air with Brick Break. Aranam looked down at his foe to see that Registeel had intentionally launched him into the air to make him helpless for its Hyper Beam attack. He quickly shielded himself just as Registeel loosed Hyper Beam, launching him high into the sky and out of sight. "Well, so much for the prophesy…" Dallon said with a tone of defeat. "No, Aranam!" Andre exclaimed when suddenly he saw a flash in the sky, causing him to grin, "Dallon, I don't think he's done yet!" Aranam was now falling head first, right towards Registeel, the steel pokemon, seeming to be shocked by the way it recoiled upon seeing its opponent returning to the fight, with his fist seeming to glow ominously. "Focus PUNCH!" Aranam shouted as he slammed his fist into Registeel, slamming Registeel back about thirty feet while using the recoil from his attack to right himself and land on his feet. Registeel didn't move at all after he finally came to a halt, meaning that Aranam had just taken him down in one, albeit very powerful, attack.

"I don't believe it!" Gallen exclaimed, "He took out Registeel in a single hit!" Aranam seemed to be fine until he collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. Andre, Razon and Vera ran to his side to check if he was knocked out but were shocked to see him still conscious. "Wow, what a rush!" Aranam exclaimed, "I haven't had a battle that intense in a long while!" "You could've been killed out there!" Vera replied, "and you _enjoyed_ that battle!" "I enjoyed the battle because never once did I doubt that I would win" Aranam replied, "I had planned out the battle from the start, and Registeel fell for it. He was defeating himself whilst I just landed the finishing blow!" Andre and Razon turned to each other, then back at Aranam in shock. "The sun's almost set, we'll camp out here" Aranam said, Registeel should no longer be a threat.

Later that night, all of them were asleep, save Aranam, Vera and Dallon, the latter of whom never needing to sleep anyways, and so was guarding the perimeter. Aranam and Vera, meanwhile, sat by the campfire, not saying a word to each other, but rather just staring at each other's eyes, trying to find a sign as to what the other might be thinking. _Why would she even care about my safety?_ Aranam thought, _I mean, sure, I'm the heir to the throne of Arcceonn, but that wouldn't mean she would genuinely CARE about me, right?_ Vera, on the other hand, was also lost in thought; _why do I even care about him? _she thought in confusion, _I mean, he's just some explorer who rediscovered the region, albeit he's descended of our old royal dynasty, right? Or…could he maybe…be something more?_ Aranam and Vera both remained silent, with both of them eventually falling asleep as the night continued to drag on into the next day.


	7. Chapter 6: Mental Screen

Chapter 6 – Mental Screen

_At the summit of Mount Resolve, the fifth highest mountain in the region, Aranam K'Tal has successfully defeated the mighty Registeel, one of three supposed 'Guardians' of the region. While the group sleeps in preparation for more traveling the next day, many things are going through each of their minds, but Dallon may have other intentions in mind, if only at the back of his mind…_

Dallon was alone at the camp perimeter, watching the moon as it moved across the night sky. He was still trying to piece together Aranam's battle with Registeel, attempting to find a pattern to determine his fighting style. He was supposed to guard the group while they slept, and he intended to do whatever it took to do so; suddenly, he heard what sounded like a few rocks coming loose from the path to the summit, and so Dallon disappeared in preparation for the intruders.

"Delta One to Deltas Three and Four, you two get lost in the dark or something?" whispered a Weavile through a microphone. "We're right behind you Delta One, we're not lost" replied the gruff voice of the third pokemon in the group. The Weavile sighed and looked further up ahead; he and his team, consisting of himself, a Houndoom named Blaze, a Machamp named Matt and a Medicham named Zero, were sent to the summit to investigate the cause of massive tremors that seemed to worry his superiors. His own name was a closely guarded secret, only known to a select few: Lucan Matthias. Just as they were at the last clearing before the final stretch to the top, the air suddenly turned much colder, as if an ominous presence had just entered the area.

"You will go no further" Dallon said as he came into view between the four intruders and the path moving forward, his single red eye glowing brightly in the black of the night. "Who are you to get in our way?" one of them, a Weavile, replied, "we're not here to cause trouble, but if you're _looking_ for trouble, then we'll be more than happy to give it to you!" Dallon simply laughed in reply, which was obviously disquieting to the four pokemon in front of him. "Do you honestly think _you_ could defeat _me_!" Dallon replied with more than a hint at amusement in his voice, "Well, let's test that theory shall we?" The Weavile grinned in reply, his fangs glistening in the moonlight before he shouted, "Delta Force Four, attack!"

The four pokemon all leapt to attack their solitary foe, but the ghost pokemon had all but vanished. "What!" Lucan exclaimed as he looked around frantically, tying to locate their foe when suddenly he made himself visible and Shadow Punched Zero against the side of the mountain, the force of the impact knocking him out in a single blow. "Who's next?" the Dusknoir said with confidence in his voice. In a frenzied attack, Matt charged at his foe, attempting to take him out with Stone Edge, but the opponent anticipated the move and again Shadow Punched him into the mountain, with the same result as with Zero. Blaze attempted to attack him, but he fell for the exact same tactic and was knocked out the same way as two of his comrades; this left Lucan alone against a phantasmal powerhouse. "You've got a lot of power, I'll give you that much" Lucan said with a grin, "but you won't defeat me!"

Dallon watched as the Weavile charged at him and attempted to strike with Night Slash; Dallon, always planning ahead, let his foe strike him as many times as he could and then pretended to fall back, badly injured. When the foe attempted to finish him, Dallon raised his fist and used Payback, turning all the energy Weavile had put into attacking him back at him twice fold. The Weavile went flying but managed to land on his feet, despite it being obvious that he had taken a critical blow. "Okay, _that_ was cheap shot!" he shouted angrily. "Rule number one in warfare, always know your opponent's weaknesses, then exploit them to the fullest" Dallon replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "You seem to know mine, so come and exploit them." The Weavile stood up and used Swords Dance to power himself up before launching another frenzied assault with Night Slash. This time, Dallon warped away from the attack and struck the Weavile in the middle of his back with Fire Punch. The Weavile cried out as he was struck from behind and sent flying, this time landing flat on his face, but Dallon wasn't done with him yet. He picked up his foe in his massive hand and lifted him over the edge of the trail, which had a drop of well over two miles to the base of the mountain.

"Please, let me go! I was only following orders!" Lucan shouted, realizing he could very well die in the next moment, "I beg of you, have mercy!" "Orders? From whom?" the Dusknoir asked in a demanding voice that obviously showed he had every intention of letting Lucan drop. "M-my superiors!" Lucan replied. "Who are you affiliated with?" the Dusknoir asked in the same threatening tone. "Neo Wyvernian Army…Cyclone Unit…Special Forces…" Lucan replied, "Now please put me down!" At this Lucan was surprised to see that the Dusknoir seemed to be grinning. "Hold it…" Lucan added when he realized something about his captor, "Do I know you?" "General Dallon Lettos, Neo Wyvernian Army" the Dusknoir replied as he set Lucan back down on solid ground, the latter obviously shocked at the realization he had attacked a superior officer. "I apologize sir" Lucan replied, saluting as he did so, "Captain Lucan Matthias at your service." "At ease Captain" Dallon replied, the latter lowering his salute and changing to an a rest stance. "I don't want to know why you're here" Dallon said, "but I want you and your unit off of this mountain before dawn. I'm undercover, so I can't afford you getting in my way like this!" "Yes sir!" Lucan replied as he ran over to his fallen comrades to wake them up, with Dallon disappearing into the night.

Aranam's vision was slightly blurry as he woke up, the sun's rays just beginning to break the horizon. Despite his vision being slightly skewed for the moment, it seemed to clear up slightly when he felt something warm against him; he shift his gaze slightly and, to his surprise, Vera was laying next to him, curled up as if there was nothing wrong with it. Aranam's eyes shot wide open at this, and he froze up so he wouldn't disturb her. "Relax Aranam" Dallon said suddenly as he floated into view, "she tosses and turns a lot in her sleep, sometimes ending up in the weirdest places when she wakes up." "Oh…that's a relief…" Aranam replied, letting out a sigh of relief when an important detail stood out to him, "wait a second, how do you know this?" "Quite simple really" Dallon replied, "you see, ghost types can't sleep, so you know how we pass the time?" Aranam shook his head to say no, not quite sure what we meant. "Well, given our natural stealth abilities and our mischievous nature…" Dallon replied with what could be considered a smirk, "we tend to spy on others while they sleep!" "What!" Aranam exclaimed, his face turning bright red, "But doesn't that mean…" "No, I haven't caught anyone doing _anything_ like _that_!" Dallon replied before turning around and muttering under his breath, "Not _yet_ anyways…"

About an hour later, everyone was up and talking about the day's plans, save Aranam and Vera, whom were both deeply embarrassed by finding themselves sleeping so close to each other. Despite being so embarrassed, they were sitting right next to each other, but mainly because neither of them felt like moving, as that in itself could somehow let the others know what had happened. "So…where are we going from here?" Gallen asked. "We'll climb down the other side of the Barrier Range" Dallon replied, "then we'll follow an old road through the forest until we hit the Southwestern Peninsula, where supposedly the ancient capital was located and may still remain." "Sounds good to me…" Andre replied when he noticed Aranam and Vera's moodiness. _What's bothering those two?_ he thought when he glanced at Elaine on his right, whose gaze seemed to be fixed on the two. "What is it Elaine?" Andre whispered to her. "I have the ability to sense emotions" Elaine whispered in reply, "and I was trying to find out what the emotions those two are feeling so that I can deduce what might be the reason." "Well, what is it?" Andre asked, still keeping his voice in a low whisper. "Well, those two are each hard to read, as they have something called a mental screen, which shields one's thoughts, and the more powerful the mind, the stronger the screen." She looked back in their direction before adding, "So I don't really know, but I'd have to say they're embarrassed because something happened between them." "Alright everyone, let's get going if we want to be off the mountain before nightfall!" Dallon shouted, prompting everyone to stand up, grab their bags and walk out, beginning the long trip back down the mountain.


	8. Chapter 7: Delta Force Four

Chapter 7 – Delta Force Four

_Dallon has kept everyone in the dark about the incident during the night of the battle with Registeel, not that anyone can say anything about it. However, that doesn't change the fact that this 'Cyclone Unit' of the so-called Neo Wyvernian Army is in Arcceonn and poses a major threat beyond any of the group's comprehensions. It may not be long before Aranam and his group encounter some of the Cyclone Unit in battle, at which point Dallon must make a choice. Does he blow his cover and take down Aranam, or does he maintain his cover and attack his allies? It will only be a matter of time before the answer is revealed…_

It had been nearly three days since the battle against Registeel, and Aranam was in high spirits as he lead the team down the road that would eventually take them to the fabled location of the Arcceonn capital, where he knew there would be treasures aplenty; however, this was only because he was trying to distract himself from thinking about that awkward moment two days ago involving the young Oracle, Vera, who despite that occurrence walked at his side for most of the journey so far. "So Vera, how is it you see the future?" Aranam asked, having wondered that question ever since he was introduced to her. "I see it in dreams" Vera replied, "sometimes in my own, and at others in the dreams of those I'm in close proximity to." "Wow, I never knew you could do that" Aranam replied, "so that was why you…" "No, I toss and turn in my sleep a lot" Vera replied in a tone that obviously gave away that there was more to it than that, "It's the only major drawback of my ability." "Ah, I see…" Aranam replied as he turned his attention back to the road ahead, not pushing the issue further. Meanwhile, Razon and Gallen were talking about a much different subject. "So…how did you lose your eye?" Gallen asked, "If it's not something too personal, I mean." "Quite simple, Junior" Razon replied, "your master, Draco, slashed me in the face when I attempted to attack him at the ruins where Aranam found the map. Damn was _that_ mistake!" "Junior!" Gallen replied in an irritated tone, "You're not much older than I am! I'm eighteen and you're…" "Thirty-two" Razon replied, "So yeah, compared to me, you're a _lot_ younger, so get used to it." "Whatever you say Pops!" Gallen replied sarcastically, realizing too late he had made a _huge_ mistake. "Pops!" Razon exclaimed angrily, his face nearly turning red from rage, "I'll show _you_ Pops!" "I'm dead…" Gallen muttered as he took off running, Razon in pursuit. They suddenly passed up Aranam and Vera, then Dallon, and continued to accelerate. "Get back here you coward!" Razon shouted furiously. "No way!" Gallen shouted back. "Uh-oh" Aranam said, "We'd better stop them, because if Razon catches him…well, let's just say you'd wish we'd gotten there a bit sooner."

Meanwhile, Razon had already caught up to Gallen and had him on the ground. "Pops huh, we'll see about that, now won't we?" he said with a wide grin on his face when suddenly Gallen reached an arm out and shouted, "Razon, behind you!" Immediately, Razon ducked out of the way just as a Houndoom lunged at him, landing several feet in front of him. "What the…" Razon muttered when he noticed that a Weavile, Machamp and Medicham have all appeared from hiding places on the side of the road. "Well look what we have here!" the Weavile shouted, "Looks like our sources were correct for once!" "Who are you? Identify yourself!" Razon shouted angrily. "Oh of course, where are my manners?" the Weavile replied in a smooth voice, "I am Lucan, the Houndoom over there is Blaze, the Machamp is named Matt, and the Medicham is Zero." "Okay, now what do you want?" Razon asked in an irritated tone. "You're intruding on our turf" Blaze said suddenly, "Turn back or prepare to fight!" Razon and Gallen stood back to back, facing their attackers just as Razon replied, "I think we'll take our chances with a battle!"

"Razon!" Aranam shouted as he and the group came into view of them, him and Dallon moving as quickly as they could to provide aid. _Oh shoot, we're in for it now!_ Lucan thought upon sighting Dallon, but he knew he had to pretend that he didn't know Dallon, just as the latter would pretend not to know him. "I see you have back-up" Lucan said with a wide grin as he turned to his comrades, who were now all formed up at his side, "Well, we can't allow intruders through, no matter what!" "Just try and stop us!" Dallon shouted back angrily before turning towards Aranam, "C'mon, you, Razon, Gallen and I can handle these imbeciles. Let's take them down!" Lucan, although knowing he was in for a beating from Dallon, knew it was best if he maintained cover, and so ordered, "Delta Force Four, attack!" The four members of Delta Force Four immediately split up, going after individual targets alone. Aranam was fighting Lucan, Dallon was up against Matt, Razon was fighting Blaze, and Gallen would face Zero.

Lucan attempted to slash Aranam with Night Slash, but the latter was a bit too fast, and so was able to block and deflect the strike before countering with Force Palm. Lucan was sent flying by the blow, but landed again on his feet. "Heh…you've got spunk, Kid…" Lucan said with a grin, "But you're still no match for me!" Lucan attacked again, this time from the side with Ice Shard. Aranam took the hit, being unable to block such a fast attack, but as Lucan passed by at high speed, Aranam lifted up his leg and slammed Lucan into the air with Blaze Kick, the latter being completely helpless as he was flung skywards. Lucan looked down at his opponent to see that Aranam was already charging an Aura Sphere. "Oh no…" Lucan muttered as Aranam released Aura Sphere, the attack hitting Lucan full force and slamming him into the ground, unconscious.

Razon meanwhile was struggling to get the upper hand…or claw rather, over Blaze, whom was as fast as he was and probably a bit stronger. Blaze had already inflicted several burns on him with Will-o-wisp, and was far from finished with him. "You honestly think you'll ever defeat me?" Blaze said, "What a joke!" "We'll see about that!" Razon shouted back angrily as he used Swords Dance to increase his power, Blaze doing the same with Nasty Plot. Following that, Blaze unleashed Fire Blast, the flames consuming Razon immediately upon impact. Razon, although in severe pain, wasn't about to give up, and had already prepared his counter-strike. Suddenly, he emerged from the flames and unleashed Cross Poison on Blaze, landing a critical hit. Blaze leapt back to try and recover, but Razon was already upon him again, hitting again and again with Aerial Ace until Razon was satisfied with his work. "Had enough?" Razon asked in a mocking tone. Blaze was furious at his foe, but was alas too weak to do anything more, and so collapsed in defeat.

At the same time, Dallon was merely toying with Matt, as both of them knew the latter had no chance of winning. Matt would rush at Dallon, but the ghost type would simply warp away from danger, reappearing somewhere completely different. _Why do I have to fight Dallon?_ He thought in exasperation. "What's the matter, Matt?" Dallon asked, "I'm sure your _superiors_ would be disappointed if you lost!" "What!" Matt exclaimed as he became enraged, "Why you little…" As Matt attempted to rush him one last time, Dallon again teleported away from the strike, this time appearing right behind Matt before launching him into a tree with Shadow Punch, knocking out the fighting type in a single, savage blow.

Gallen was at that moment fighting Zero in a fashion that much resembled a martial arts tournament match, with the two of them focusing entirely on physical combat. This is where Gallen excelled, and he knew it too. "C'mon Boy, let's see what you got!" Zero taunted just before being slashed with Aerial Ace, causing the latter to wish he had shut up. "Okay, so you're strong, but is that all?" Zero replied as he lunged back into the fight with Thunderpunch. Gallen weaved from side to side to evade Zero's rapid strikes before finally countering with Close Combat, knocking the enraged Medicham back several feet. Zero stood back up and leapt at Gallen with Hi Jump Kick. Gallen leaned as far back as he could, the kick barely missing Gallen, and to Zero's dismay, carried Zero right into Dallon, who slammed him back with Shadow Punch, knocking him out in the same way he did Matt. Now that the four were defeated and all in the same place, Aranam ran at them and launched them skywards with Focus Punch.

"Who were they?" Aranam asked, "What was their deal?" "They called themselves the Delta Force Four" Razon replied, "the Weavile was named Lucan, the Houndoom Blaze, the Machamp Matt and the Medicham Zero." "Why did they attack you?" Aranam asked, with Razon about to answer when Dallon interrupted. "We can't be sure, they probably told Razon and Gallen a lie to hide their intent" Dallon replied, "But whatever the case, they are extremely dangerous and should be treated with caution…"


	9. Chapter 8: Truths Unveiled

Chapter 8 – Truths Unveiled

_As Aranam's group continues through the southwestern areas of Arcceonn, they are not far more wary of what could lie ahead. After the encounter with the mysterious Delta Force Four, Aranam has become suspicious of everyone, and for good reason. His relationships with his friends are being strained, as is his trust of the young Oracle, Vera. In Arcceonn, it is often difficult to differentiate between friends and foes, but he shall find out soon enough…_

It was late at night, the group having settled down to camp again, with Dallon again standing guard. He was certain they would be attacked again, given the ominous feel in the air…and he had a sneaking suspicion it would be very soon. He heard a rustling noise, one that sounded like something dashing quickly across the dead leaves on the forest floor. Dallon heard the sound, but the source moved too quickly for him to track. "You really should watch your back Dallon…" said a voice that came from behind him. Dallon spun around and found himself face to face with Aranam…but something about him wasn't right. His Aura glowed bright red, as did his eyes, and he was much darker in color. "What the…Aranam!" Dallon exclaimed. "No…I am a specter from your past…" replied the Aranam doppelganger in a confident tone. At this, Dallon's eye widened in fear; "Raynar II! No! You're dead!" Dallon exclaimed when he realized an important detail, Raynar the Great's Aura was _blue_, like Aranam's, but this one's was _red_. "Alright, nice try…" Dallon replied, "I don't know who you are, but you're going down!" "I'd like to see you try!" replied the doppelganger as the two entered fighting poses as they once did on the battlefields of old.

Dallon attacked first with a Shadow Punch, the doppelganger effortlessly leaping away before striking back with Dark Pulse. Dallon was slammed into a tree and knew immediately he was in for a tough fight. Dallon got back up and struck again, and again missed his mark before his foe attacked him repeatedly with Blaze Kick before slamming him back. "This is it Dallon!" the opponent shouted as he ran at Dallon to finish him. "Take this!" Dallon shouted as he used Payback, releasing all the damage he had taken from the foe back into his enemy. The foe put up an Aura shield, but it wasn't enough; the attack shattered the shield, doing grievous damage to Dallon's enemy. He skidded back a distance but stood back up as if unharmed. "Hah! Really, that's all you've got! You disappoint me!" exclaimed his opponent. Dallon was seething with rage towards the insolence of his opponent, but for some reason, the enigma surrounding his opponent seemed to be fading, until Dallon realized who he was _really_ fighting, and so knew how to defeat him. The foe lunged at him, with Dallon teleporting out of the way before chopping him in the back of the neck. As if struck by lightning, his foe dropped to his hands and knees, his Aura fading. "Nice try, but your disguise didn't fool me this time" Dallon said. His foe laughed and replied, "Indeed, you've gotten stronger…" His foe's appearance changed, the body completely changing shape and color until it revealed the lithe form of a Zoroark. "Evening Dallon, I trust you're in good health…well, for a ghost type anyways…" the Zoroark said with a wide grin. "As good of health as I can be…" Dallon replied smugly, "Fenris…"

As these events took place, Aranam and the others were fast asleep in the camp. Suddenly, Aranam woke up, being nearly unable to sleep anyways. He looked around at the others to ensure that the rest were asleep before standing up and walking away into the forest. He had a lot on his mind, and he hoped that if he just walked around for a bit, he might find some answers to the many questions in his head. His mind drifted between many different trains of thought, moving back and forth between his late team leader Fenris, recent developments, the Delta Force Four, the legend surrounding this land, and finally Vera. To him, Vera was an enigma; a near indecipherable encryption that he was desperate to understand. He found her interesting, especially her personality, in that she seemed to be of many contradictions, quiet yet outgoing, calm yet passionate, but most of all she seemed indifferent to him as far as his past or status…and yet she seems to show some type of interest in him _personally_. _An enigma…_ he thought, _An enigma that was never meant to be deciphered, and yet I try to understand her…but why?_

Unbeknownst to Aranam, he was being watched from the shadows; ironically, the one watching him was no one other than Vera. _Hmm…why are you up so late Aranam?_ she thought, _What's on your mind?_ Vera reached out to him with her telepathy, only to be nearly overwhelmed by Aranam's metal screen. Immediately she knew that she had alerted Aranam to her presence. Aranam spun around and froze in his tracks upon making eye contact with Vera. "What do you want?" "Aranam…I just heard you wake up, and I was wondering…is something bothering you?" Vera asked. Aranam was about to say 'No' when he realized that something _was_ bothering him. "Yeah…I guess something is…" he replied, "Maybe we should talk about it…"

"So…you became Team Avenger's leader fairly recently" Vera said as she walked beside him, "How did that happen?" At this, Aranam paused for a few seconds before he replied, "We were in some ruins, the ones where we found the map to Arcceonn…" Within minutes, Vera almost couldn't bear to hear more, but she listened as intently as possible. "…Fenris gave his life to save the three of us, and so we all escaped in one piece save Razon's right eye" Aranam said as he finished the story, "but in the end, Sir Draco was not responsible for Fenris' death…the blame for that is mine and mine alone." "What…no! Vera replied in shock, "You're not responsible for his death…why must you be so hard on yourself?" Aranam didn't respond at first until Vera said to him, "You know what _really _happened that night after you defeated Registeel?" Aranam shook his head no, to which Vera responded, "We had a talk that night, during which you told me a lot about yourself…it wasn't easy getting you to open up, and I hypnotized you so you wouldn't remember what had happened." Aranam, although shocked that she had hypnotized him, strangely enough wasn't in the least offended. "But…why did you want me to forget?" Aranam asked. "Because…" Vera began when she caught herself, sighed, and said, "Because I said something I shouldn't have…and it was too soon…but now, maybe I should say it now." "What is it?" Aranam asked, although he had a suspicion he knew what it was. "Aranam…we've known each other for a very short time, I know..." Vera said softly, "But in that time…I've realized that…I love you."

Aranam felt as if his heart would leap out of his chest; it was a massive shock to him, as he thought that the last thing that _anyone_ could feel towards him was love. He had never known his real family, so to him, this was new. "Wow…really?" Aranam asked in surprise. "Honest, I swear my life on it" Vera replied as she and Aranam moved slowly closer and closer until their mouths met in a kiss.

(I'll have to stop it here, otherwise this could get out of hand, so I'll leave what happens next to your imagination…*nudge-nudge, wink-wink*)


	10. Chapter 9: Divisions

Chapter 9 – Divisions

_Aranam, Vera, Dallon and the rest of the group continue along their path, most completely unaware of what had recently occurred just two weeks ago on that night. By now, however, their bonds are beginning to strain, particularly in the case of Aranam and Razon. It may only take the slightest disturbance to set the two off, at which point the team that Aranam has been trying so hard to hold together would become divided. This of course makes Dallon's job easier, but a new, much more dangerous idea begins to form in his mind, one that could have disastrous consequences for Arcceonn in the years to come…_

"I'm telling you Aranam, we should head this way!" Razon shouted angrily, pointing behind him. "That's the wrong way; we're going the other way!" Aranam shot back. Razon and Aranam had been arguing over which way to go for over four hours and by now, everyone could tell the argument had reached a fever pitch. "…You're so indecisive; I can't _believe_ Fenris chose _you_ to be our leader!" Razon exclaimed. "Oh yeah, well I'm not the one who charges head-on into battle without thinking, losing an eye as a result!" Aranam replied furiously. Vera, Andre, Gallen and Elaine were getting worried; the two of them had been arguing so bitterly by now that it was only a matter of time before somebody did something they would regret. "You are a _disgrace_ to your ancestor's and Fenris' legacy!" Razon exclaimed, catching Aranam completely off guard. Aranam was speechless, but by the intensity that his aura had flared up to, he was _furious_, and even _that_ was the grandest of understatements. "Shut up!" Aranam shouted as he launched Razon into the air with Focus Punch, causing him grievous damage. _What have I done?_ Razon thought, now regretting his words. Aranam lunged at him again using Close Combat, slamming Razon back into the ground with the last strike. Aranam landed on the ground and was about to finish Razon once and for all when Gallen blocked him. "Don't do this Aranam!" he exclaimed, "You'll kill him!" Aranam regained his reason, but was by no means going to forgive his comrade…no, his _former_ comrade. "Get out of here Razon, now!" he shouted, "You are now banned from the team; get out of my sight!" Razon's eye widened in shock; he had never imagined he had harmed Aranam that badly. "Aranam, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that…" Razon replied desperately, "Please, don't do this to me! This team is my _life_!" "You should've thought about that before you said what you did" Aranam replied coldly, "Now get out of my sight before I decide to finish you off!" Razon struggled to his feet and looked Aranam straight in the eyes before saying, "I pity you Aranam, I really do…I'm sorry it had to come to this…" With that, he lifted into the air and glided away. "Good riddance!" Aranam exclaimed as he started down the path he had pointed out, "This way. Let's go." Everyone, too bewildered to understand what had happened, followed behind him, with Dallon bringing up the rear. "His Aura is becoming corrupted…perhaps it would be a waste to take Aranam out as planned, rather, if he can be turned, he can become a powerful ally…" he muttered.

"You didn't have to be so hard on Razon, you know?" Andre said suddenly. "Back off Andre, I don't want to hear it…" Aranam replied. Andre eyed Aranam suspiciously; he'd been agitated for no particular reason lately, as if something was really bothering him. There wasn't time to answer, as someone had just jumped in front of them. It was the Delta Force Four, having planned an ambush. "Well well, it's about time you showed up!" exclaimed Lucan. "We still haven't forgotten about last time, but this time will be different!" Matt shouted angrily. "You have a lot of nerve showing your faces again!" Aranam shouted back at them, his aura flaring up, but something about his Aura was unstable, as if there was some outside force influencing it. "Oh, someone wants to play?" Blaze taunted, "C'mon, show us what you've got!" In a frenzied rage, Aranam attacked the Delta Force Four alone. Lucan was first, but he was sent flying with a well-timed Sky Uppercut, himself being knocked out on impact. Blaze was next, with him falling for the same tactic. Zero was third, but was knocked out at long range with Dark Pulse. Finally, it was Matt's turn. Aranam stuck out his hand and waved towards himself in the classic 'bring it on' pose. Matt panicked, grabbed his comrades and ran off as fast as he could, not seeing that Aranam was pursuing him. Aranam soon caught up and launched the four of them into the sky with an Aura-infused Focus Punch. "Whoa…what happened!" Gallen exclaimed, "I haven't seen a four-on-one fight end that fast in my whole life!" Dallon smirked slightly at this development, knowing that the instability of Arana's aura was confirming his belief that he was corrupted. _Perfect_ he thought.

That night, Dallon was again patrolling the edge of the camp when suddenly he heard someone walking up to him from behind; it was Aranam, and he seemed quite shaken. "What's wrong Aranam?" Dallon asked. "I don't know…just a strange dream…" Aranam replied, "I don't like what I saw, not in the least…" At this, Dallon paused to think before replying, "Enlighten me." "It was about Vera…" Aranam replied, "…she and I have become very close…" "Is that true now?" Dallon replied as is he wasn't surprised, "What about her…" Aranam walked over beside him and looked up at the night sky. "She…she was dying…and she was in pain…" Aranam replied, "I've seen visions of the future before on rare occasions, and they always came true…I don't want this to happen to Vera…" In Dallon's mind, he was nearly overjoyed; he had found Aranam's weakness, and all he would have to do was exploit it. "Aranam…have you ever heard the legend of Emperor Saul the Just?" Dallon asked, with Aranam shaking his head no. "I'm not surprised, it had forgotten by most, but I remember it…" Dallon replied, "You see, Saul was the first and only emperor of the great Wyvernian Empire. Despite being charismatic and an able leader, he had been given a strange power that enabled him to manipulate life itself…" At this, Aranam became much more attentive, indicating that Dallon had caught his interest. "This extended to the point that in some cases, he could enable others…to cheat death" Dallon continued, Aranam now certainly interested. "But of course, Emperor Saul disappeared, but I have reason to believe he is far from dead" he said, finishing his statement. "Is it possible to learn this ability?" Aranam asked, looking him right in the eye. At this, Dallon seemed to smile as he replied, "Not through conventional means…"


	11. Chapter 10: Hidden Shadows Revealed

Chapter 10 – Hidden Shadows Revealed

_Despite Aranam losing his temper, resulting in Razon getting booted off of Team Avengers, the group continues along the Southwestern edge of Arcceonn. Now they are close to the ancient capital: Arcceonn City, where they will restock one last time before moving on to the North, at which point they're on their own. Aranam and Dallon have been conversing frequently, as the former of the two had been experiencing strange nightmares that Aranam is sure are premonitions. Is this true? One can only hope that they aren't, lest this fear of loss can be used against him…_

"There it is!" Gallen exclaimed, pointing ahead. Aranam and the others stood next to him and looked down upon the landscape towards their destination. Arcceonn City may have been the oldest city in Arcceonn, but its image was no less imposing. The high walls of the city towered over forty feet high, and at the westernmost edge of the city stood a massive fortress of even greater height. "I've been here once before, but only once" Gallen said, "That was with Sir Draco; the Order of Arcceonn Knights is based here in the old fortress at the western end." "So _this_ is the ancient capital…" Andre said, "It's even more impressive than I imagined!" "That's only the _outside_" Gallen replied, "The city has been abandoned, and so now serves as housing for the Knights, Squires and Pages. Only the Masters, or Paladins as we refer to them, live in the fortress itself." "Impressive…_most_ impressive…" Aranam said somewhat vacantly, his mind on other subjects, "Let's check this place out." "Sure thing Aranam, follow me" Gallen replied as he lead the group down the road. "Whoa…I can't believe that was the capital of an entire _nation_!" Andre exclaimed. "At one point, I didn't either" Elaine replied as she walked beside him when he noticed him looking away from her somewhat, "Andre, why are you looking away?" "What…nothing!" Andre exclaimed, turning back towards her, laughing nervously, "There's no reason!" Elaine rolled her eyes and decided not to push the issue further.

Walking through most of the city was for the most part uneventful; there were many of the inhabitants out and about, but none of them seemed to pay any attention to them as they were too focused on their training. When they reached the center of the city, there were many more however, all of different types. An Alakazam, which Aranam assumed was a Paladin, was giving out instructions to the others, whom were all moving in sequence to what appeared to be a martial arts form. Finally, they stopped, the Alakazam dismissing them when he noticed Aranam's group. "Gallen, I was wondering when you'd be back" he said as he walked over, "I assume you're doing well in your training?" "My training's been on hold for a short time on request of Sir Draco" Gallen replied before turning towards Aranam. "Aranam, this is Master Axel Car'das, one of the Arch Paladins, who oversee the entire Order" he said when he noticed Aranam looking past him at a dual-spear, half-embedded in a large stone. "What's that?" Aranam asked. "That, young one, is Exomere, the weapon of the late king, Raynar the Great" Car'das replied, "Although it is a dual-bladed spear, it could also be split into twin swords, and contains a power that can turn the tide of any battle…however, it is embedded in that stone, and only a descendant of Raynar the Great can remove it." "Perfect, we have one right here!" Dallon exclaimed, gesturing to Aranam. "You know better than to jest about his bloodline Dallon" Car'das replied coldly, "His bloodline died out ages ago!" "That doesn't seem to be stopping him" Dallon replied as he pointed towards the spear. Car'das spun around to see Aranam standing in front of Exomere, about to attempt to remove it. "No boy! That is sacred! You aren't to touch it!" Car'das exclaimed when Aranam grabbed the shaft of the weapon; the visible blade began to glow slightly as Aranam began pulling up. It wasn't moving yet, but just by the glow, Car'das knew something was up. Aranam, meanwhile, was getting exasperated; the weapon refused to move. _No…don't give up Aranam, ever! You can do this!_ A voice said in Aranam's head. The voice was unfamiliar, but that didn't matter to him at the moment. He pulled harder, everyone now beginning to hear the loud screech of metal scraping against stone. The adamantite blades of Exomere were now glowing so bright it was nearly blinding. With one final pull, the mighty weapon came free from the stone, Aranam stumbling back a few steps, but retaining his balance. He held the spear in his hand and exclaimed, "I…I did it! It's out!" "I don't believe it, it's a miracle!" Car'das exclaimed. "Never judge by appearances Car'das, Aranam K'Tal is the rightful heir, and now he has returned to Arcceonn" Dallon replied. The glow from the weapon faded, upon which Aranam turned around and grinned triumphantly. By now, every one of the apprentices in the courtyard was staring at him in amazement; they had been told the legends of their great leader, and now, it seemed as if he were back from the dead.

An hour later, Aranam stood outside a room at the top of the central spire of the fortress, Exomere separated into its blade forms and placed into scabbards worn across his back. Inside the room were the Arch Paladins, discussing this turn of events resulting from Aranam's appearance. "Relax Aranam, as far as they're concerned, you're not a threat…" Dallon said, sensing his apprehension. "It's not that I'm worried about, you know that…" Aranam replied sternly. "What's on your mind Aranam?" Andre asked curiously. "Nothing you can help me with Andre…" Aranam replied, "No one I know seems to be able to help…" "You don't know that…" said a voice Aranam didn't recognize. "What the…who goes there!" Aranam exclaimed as he drew Exomere, "Show yourself!" "So it's true, you really _did_ remove Exomere" the voice replied just as Car'das exited the room. "Mewtwo, where are your manners?" Car'das said sternly, "Come out, now!" At that moment, a pokemon unlike anything Aranam had seen before appeared right in front of him; he was overall light lavender in color with a deep purple abdomen and tail, his eyes of the same color. He vaguely resembled a pokemon that Aranam had met once during his early days as an explorer, Mew, and so he assumed that must be the reason for the name. Based on the pokemon's features, however, Aranam assumed he was far from mature, partially because the strange pokemon was shorter than he was. "Sorry Pops, I was just greeting the new arrival" Mewtwo replied with a half smile. "Pops! Master Car'das, you have a son!" Dallon exclaimed. "More or less" he replied, "You and I both know that besides being an Arch Paladin, I am also a scientist. Mewtwo was the product of splicing my DNA with that of Mew's, then recombining them into a form superior to the original!" "Whoa…you didn't tell me about _this_!" Gallen exclaimed as he looked at Mewtwo, "He's pretty young, but he looks as if he could take on all of the Arch Paladins at once and _win_!" "One can only hope it never comes to that Gallen" Car'das replied, "…But I assume a practice battle is in order. Aranam, why don't we test your skills against Mewtwo?" Aranam smirked confidently and replied, "When and where?"

Exactly half an hour later, Aranam and Mewtwo stood on opposite sides of the courtyard. Aranam had left Exomere off to the side, as he only intended on this being a sparring match, not an all-out brawl to the death. "Your move Mewtwo!" Aranam shouted. "Big mistake!" Mewtwo replied as he immediately teleported behind Aranam and launched him into the air with Brick Break. Aranam was caught off guard not so much by Mewtwo's speed, but by his _power_. The young pokemon had flung him nearly a hundred feet in the air, and to Aranam's horror, Mewtwo was already attacking again, this time with a dark sphere that he launched at Mewtwo. _Shadow Ball!_ Aranam thought as he spun around and put up an Aura shield. He poured much more energy into it than he thought, however, and so rather than dissipating the attack, the Shadow Ball was reflected back at Mewtwo, slamming into Mewtwo and doing massive damage. When Aranam landed, Mewtwo was back up, this time glowing with a bright blue Aura. "I've underestimated you Aranam, now I'll show you my _real_ power!" Mewtwo exclaimed. "I'd like to see you try!" Aranam replied as his aura flared up, again turning from blue to red like last time. Mewtwo and Aranam lunged into the air, exchanging blows until both of them were launched back onto the rooftops of the surrounding buildings. Aranam and Mewtwo each jumped off of them, lunging at each other and attacking again in mid air. This time, Aranam found an opening and slammed Mewtwo into the ground with Focus Punch. Mewtwo had barely recovered when Aranam was on him again, this time simply picking him up and flinging him right _through_ a wall! "What's the matter Mewtwo?" Aranam taunted as he maximized his attack power with Swords Dance, "You're not as tough as I thought!"

Many others watched from the balconies above with a combination of awe and horror. Andre had never seen Aranam fight so aggressively; he was going all-out on the inexperienced Mewtwo. "Something's not right…why is he being so aggressive?" Gallen said, "I don't understand it!" Dallon, meanwhile, nearly laughed in excitement. _Yes! It's working!_ he thought ecstatically, _Aranam is beginning to give in, opening himself up to the shadows…it'll only be a matter of time now…then at long last, we will have our revenge!_

Mewtwo staggered out of the rubble, badly injured and clearly in no condition to fight. _I can't keep going like this…he's too powerful…_ Mewtwo thought. "You know what I think of you Mewtwo?" Aranam said, "You're an Abomination! A freak of nature that should never have existed! If you think you're any more than that, then show me!" At that, Mewtwo felt a rage inside of him explode, his aura flaring up to an intensity it never had before; his features matured, and he grew in size as his maturation was sped up, his power increasing a hundred fold. "You'll eat those words once I'm through with you!" Mewtwo replied in his now much deeper voice. Mewtwo loosed a Shadow Ball, but this one was far too powerful for Aranam to deflect or even weaken. Aranam was shot back into a wall, but soon emerged in much the same rage Mewtwo was in now, both of their power now maximized. "So you've got some fight left in you, let's go!" Aranam replied. At that, Aranam and Mewtwo attacked each other again, their movements too fast to catch with the naked eye; they seemed to be nothing more than a red and blue blur, attacking each other at close range with all the power either of them had. Their attacks collided most times, rendering them ineffective. At long last, Aranam landed a hit with Sky Uppercut, launching Mewtwo upwards before pursuing. Aranam then ravaged Mewtwo with innumerable attacks at point-blank range before slamming him into the ground below. Mewtwo was in no condition to fight now, but Aranam wasn't finished with him. He stood over him, an angel of death about to deal the finishing blow when suddenly something streaked in and deflected his attack. It was Sir Draco, coming to Mewtwo's aid and stopping Aranam in his tracks. "Sorry Aranam, but this must end now!" Draco shouted as he loosed the strongest Brick Break attack he could muster, slamming Aranam into a wall and knocking him out.

Aranam and Mewtwo were each set down upon one of a pair of beds as their wounds were treated. The Arch Paladins, Sir Draco, Gallen, Andre and the others standing on the other side of the room. "He's a threat to all around him! What were we thinking!" Car'das exclaimed, "Look what he did to Mewtwo!" "Calm down Car'das, if anything Mewtwo became far stronger now because of him" Sir Draco replied, "But something still bothers me, why would Aranam become so aggressive?" "I have a theory, albeit an unlikely one" replied Master Gorizont, a Tyrannitar who had obviously seen his share of combat, "It is possible that he has been corrupted by Shadow Energy." "Shadow Energy?" Andre asked. "A dark energy that corrupts anyone who comes into contact with it unless they are accustomed to being exposed to its influence" replied Gorizont, "A pokemon corrupted completely by Shadow Energy becomes what's known as a Shadow Pokemon. They are more powerful than normal, but they change, becoming more aggressive and prone to anger…but what makes Aranam unique is that he had been exposed to it over _years_, and hasn't been fully corrupted, whereas the effects are usually instantaneous." Dallon nodded his head in agreement, even though that is _exactly_ what he wanted to happen. At that moment, he noticed that Andre and Elaine were gone, as did Gallen. "What the…where did those two go!" Gallen exclaimed as he ran out of the room to search for them. "Anyways…I suggest we monitor Aranam for now, and move Mewtwo to another room for safety's sake" Car'das said, "If Aranam has been corrupted, there is a high probability that the rest of _us_ could be corrupted as well; stay away from him if his Aura flares up." The others nodded in reply and left one by one until only Vera remained. "Sleep well Aranam…" Vera whispered as she kissed his cheek and walked out.


	12. Chapter 11: Aranam Disappears

Chapter 11 – Aranam Disappears

_Not long after Aranam K'Tal arrived in Arcceonn City, he had already made an impression upon the greatest of the Arcceonn Knights. He has successfully exhumed the legendary dual-tipped tri-spear Exomere, a weapon of untold power that can turn the tide of any battle, even when the wielder is alone against entire armies. He also met a pokemon named Mewtwo, created from splicing the genes and an Arcceonn Arch Paladin. The two battled, nearly resulting in Mewtwo's death until Draco intervened. Arch Paladin Gorizont believes Aranam to be corrupted, and that he will eventually become consumed; the question remains, however, what will become of Aranam until they either purify him or he is consumed._

The atmosphere in the Arch Paladin's meeting chamber was stern, a stark contrast to what the room was intended for; this was once the great hall of the castle prior to the early 15th Century, and was anything but somber in its day. The High Arch Paladin, an Armaldo named Vance Alistair, presided over the debate from the throne once occupied by Raynar the Great. The subject of this meeting was Aranam, or, more specifically, what to do with him in his condition. "I propose we try to purify him" Master Car'das suggested, "He is a major threat to all around him, but not too great of one." "Aranam may already be beyond help…" replied Master Falchion, a Dragonite, "He is being corrupted more and more as we speak, and with his power, he might destroy anything and everything around him." "No! Consider the other options first!" exclaimed Sir Draco, who was invited to sit in on the meeting, despite the fact that with his experience he should be an Arch Paladin anyways. The Masters squabbled back in forth until at last Alistair shouted, "SILENCE!" Everyone in the room fell silent, including the firebrand Draco. "This is not a decision to take lightly, and is one that I am afraid we are not ready to make" Alistair said in a much softer tone, "We shall each meditate on this in our sleep. Tomorrow at dawn, we will make our decision. Dismissed!" With that, each Arch Paladin left one by one, last among them being Sir Draco and High Arch Paladin Alistair. Unbeknownst to any of them, however, someone had heard every word they had said. _This is getting out of hand…_ Dallon thought, _I must accelerate my plans…I'll need to get Aranam out of here tonight…and I know just how to do it!_

Aranam sat alone on a bed in the room where he had awakened, the moonlight being his only comfort in this prison of his. The door was locked, and no matter how hard he struck it, it wouldn't budge, the same going for the window. "Something's wrong…I know it…" he muttered, "They wouldn't have locked me up if everything was alright." "Things are _not_ alright Aranam" replied a voice Aranam had nearly forgotten. _What the…it can't be!_ he thought just as a familiar form jumped in through the window. "Fenris! How…" Aranam started when he was cut off by Fenris. "Long story Aranam, but I'm still very much alive" the Zoroark replied just as another figure entered the room. "It's good to see you could make it Fenris" Dallon said, "There isn't much time." "Dallon…Fenris…you two know each other!" Aranam exclaimed just as Dallon covered his mouth. "Keep it down you fool!" Dallon whispered harshly. "Another long story" Fenris replied, "But the fact of the matter remains that you are in mortal danger. The Arch Paladins plan to execute you at sunrise tomorrow." "Execute!" Aranam whispered, "Why!" "They perceive you as a threat because of your power; they _fear_ what you're capable of Aranam" Dallon said sternly, "Now come, time is of the essence!" "Wait, there's something I must do before we leave" Aranam replied, "I'll be back!" Aranam then remembered how the door wouldn't open, but this gave him an idea. He picked up Exomere, raised the spear high in the air, and slashed the door down as if it were melted butter. At that, Aranam ran out of his cell and down the hall as quickly as he could.

Vera walked alone in the courtyard, being unable to sleep at the present moment. Normally, the cool night air was something she found pleasant, but now it had a somewhat ominous feel to it. It was because she worried for Aranam, and wondered of his current condition. Suddenly, she heard someone coming up behind her; she spun around and nearly leapt for joy. Aranam had somehow gotten out of the chamber. "Aranam!" she exclaimed just as Aranam shushed her. "Vera…I'm leaving tonight…" he said. "What? Why?" Vera asked, "Is something the matter?" "Very much so Vera" Aranam replied sadly, "Tomorrow at dawn, the Arch Paladins are going to have me executed." "What the! Why are you still here then!" Vera exclaimed. "Because I wanted to say goodbye" Aranam replied. Vera felt as if she had been stabbed through the chest; now that she and Aranam had become so close, Vera couldn't bear to lose him, she wouldn't allow it to happen. "Take me with you" Vera said. "Vera, I wish I could, but it's too dangerous; I don't know what I'd do if you were somehow harmed!" Aranam exclaimed. "Aranam…if they kill you, they might do the same to me…and there's another reason too…" Vera said as she whispered something in Aranam's ear, the latter's eyes growing wide from shock. "What the! Are you sure you're…" Aranam exclaimed, Vera nodding in response. Only now did Aranam realize the entire gravity of the situation; he not only had to ensure Vera's survival, but that of his own _child_! "In that case, there is no other choice, I'll have to take you with me" Aranam said just as Fenris and Dallon appeared. "Aranam! C'mon!" Fenris said frantically, "Time is against us!" "Alright, but Vera's coming with us" Aranam said, neither Dallon nor Fenris seeming to object as the four of them ran out towards the gates when suddenly they were stopped; it was Arch Paladin Falchion. "I knew you'd try and escape, of course, I hadn't anticipated your help" the Dragonite said coldly, "I can't allow you to leave." "Try and stop us!" Aranam replied as he drew Exomere and separated it into twin swords. "Fine, I'll take you down first!" Falchion replied as he sent Dallon, Fenris and Vera flying back with a gust of wind.

Aranam was already on the attack by the time Falchion could focus on him, slashing him repeatedly with his Aura-infused blades. Falchion evaded effortlessly despite his size easily before striking back with Aerial Ace. The attack struck Aranam under the chin and knocked him flying, but the enraged Lucario might as well have been wearing armor, for the attack didn't seem to faze him whatsoever. Aranam dodge-rolled to the side as Falchion came at him again with Dragon Rush, nearly striking him directly just as Aranam cleared his line of fire. "Insolent fool!" Falchion shouted angrily as he slammed Aranam with Fire Punch. The Lucario cried out in pain as he was sent reeling back. _I can't go on like this! I need more power!_ Aranam thought just as Falchion was about to come at him again. Suddenly, he felt a rush of energy that felt foreign to him, but knew would save him. Just as Falchion nearly struck him again with Dragon Rush, Falchion was blasted away as Shadow Energy erupted from Aranam; he had fully embraced the shadows, and could now wield its power to its full effect. "No! I knew we should have eliminated him when we had the chance!" Falchion exclaimed in horror, "Now we're too late!" "You made a grave error Falchion! Now face my true power!" Aranam replied furiously as he launched his attack, "Shadow Blast!" A powerful shadow-infused vacuum wave surged into Falchion, blowing him away into a wall. _He has embraced the Shadows…even I may not be able to beat him at this stage…but I must try!_ Falchion thought as he slowly stood back up. "I can't…let you…through! This must end!" Falchion exclaimed as he poured the last reserves of energy within him into a final attack, "_DRACO METEOR!_" Suddenly, many massive meteorites surged earthward, all flying directly at Aranam. Aranam recombined his blades into Exomere's spear form and spun it around rapidly above his head, so rapidly that a powerful vortex formed around him. "Shadow Storm!" he shouted as Shadow Energy became infused with the vortex. The meteors were caught by the attack and flung at Falchion, their power _tripled_ by the energy Aranam had added into them as well as their increased momentum. There was a massive explosion that blew down a large section of the wall, and when the dust had cleared, Aranam and Falchion were both standing! "It ends now!" Aranam exclaimed as he rushed forward and slashed Falchion across the chest, the tired-out Dragonite being unable to fight back. As Aranam came to a halt, Falchion dropped down, and with his final breaths, uttered the words, "I'm sorry…my comrades…I…have failed…" Vera, Dallon and Fenris rushed to Aranam's side, all of them gravely concerned about Aranam's condition. "Are you alright Aranam?" Fenris asked, "You're not hurt are you?" "No, in fact, I feel _stronger_, stronger than I ever felt in my life!" Aranam replied, "But I wouldn't want to go up against another of the Arch Paladins, so let's get out of here!" With that, the four of them ran off as fast as they could, disappearing into the night.

As Gallen, Andre and Elaine awoke, they noticed High Arch Paladin Alistair discussing something with Sir Draco; by the hushed tones they were using, Gallen knew something had happened. "What is it Master Draco?" Gallen asked, the two knights stopping in their tracks. "Aranam has disappeared, as has Dallon and Vera" Draco replied. "Dallon I could see disappearing, as he does it routinely, and Vera could just be off in the city…" Gallen replied, "But Aranam! How did he get out of that locked chamber!" "We have reason to believe he used Exomere to slash the door down, or at least, that's what Master Car'das and Mewtwo have concluded, and it is highly likely that is what happened." At this, Gallen and Andre broke into a run, moving as quickly as they could through the corridors until they saw a horrifying scene; an entire wall of the fortress had been completely destroyed, and massive craters littered the ground around it. The two of them ran over to the rubble and found something even more disturbing; it was Arch Paladin Falchion, lying motionless. Gallen tried to sense mental activity, but detected none, which realized his worse fears. "Aranam killed Falchion!" he exclaimed, the other Arch Paladins now there as well. "Falchion, speak to me!" Arch Paladin Gorizont exclaimed as he desperately tried to awaken his fallen comrade, but to no avail. "When I find that punk, he'll wish he had never been born!" he shouted angrily. "Gorizont, we need you here" replied Alistair, "…but that doesn't change the fact that we are now missing an Arch Paladin…I propose Sir Draco should fill his place." "I concur, he should've been made one _ages_ ago!" replied Car'das, the rest unanimously agreeing. "It's settled, Arch Paladin Draco…" Alistair said sternly, "We need you to find Aranam and bring him back here immediately, along with Vera and Dallon if possible." Draco nodded and replied, "Consider it done." He turned towards Gallen, Andre and Elaine before adding, "The three of you are to come with me…" he said, "and Gallen…" "Yes Master Draco?" Gallen asked. "You've come a long way since you began your training under me…and now I have nothing left to teach you. I confer upon you the title of Sir Gallen, Knight of Arcceonn." Gallen smiled faintly and replied, "I am honored Master…now let's go get Aranam back!"


	13. Chapter 12: Delta Force 4's Final Stand

Chapter 12 – Delta Force Four's Final Stand

_In the aftermath of Aranam's flight, and subsequent death of Arch Paladin Falchion, the newly knighted Sir Gallen the Lionheart (His official title) must now lead a new Team Avengers made up of himself, Andre, his sister Elaine and Arch Paladin Draco to search for their wayward allies. Are all of them really allies though? Furthermore, why would Aranam run, killing Arch Paladin Falchion in the act?_

Three days have passed since Gallen and the new Team Avengers left to find Aranam, and so far, there were only subtle traces along the coast of where they had gone, although Gallen was certain they had gone north into the wilderness regions of Arcceonn. Andre's keen sense of direction became especially useful at this time. "These tracks resemble Aranam's" Andre said as he noticed footprints, "the other set looks like Vera, and there's a third set I can't identify." "Excellent work Andre" Gallen replied as he began making a mental map of the tracks in an attempt to predict where they could be going. "Okay…so that means they're probably following the coastline to the North" Gallen muttered.

"Yeah, and we can't let you go that way" said a voice out of nowhere. "What the…oh no!" Andre exclaimed upon realizing the voice's identity. Suddenly, from several points on the side of the road, emerged the Delta Force Four, seemingly uninjured and if anything stronger since their last encounter. "Where's your bravado now that Aranam's gone?" Lucan sneered, "We know where he is, but we're not telling!" "Lucan it doesn't really matter whether we tell them or not; they already know their general direction" Blaze said flatly. "Remember General Lettos' orders, keep your mouth shut!" Lucan replied when he realized his error. "Lettos! You mean _Dallon_ Lettos!" Gallen exclaimed. "I _knew_ there was something about him I didn't like" Draco growled. At that, the group moved into fighting stances, as did Delta Force Four. "We can't let them through boys! We have to hold them off!" Lucan shouted, "Attack!"

"Let's see what you've got!" Blaze shouted as he lunged at Andre, the latter deflecting Blaze's blow and knocking him back. At that moment, Blaze realized something about Andre; the two knew each other. "Andre, you have no business being here" Blaze sneered, "Especially after what you pulled with my boss years ago!" "What are you talking about!" Andre shouted as he rushed at Blaze with Night Slash, the Houndoom simply leaping away and landing behind him. "Now now Andre, can't we have a civilized discussion?" Blaze replied sarcastically, "Think about it, where did we meet two years ago?" At this Andre stopped in his tracks and stared in horror at his foe; Blaze was the hitman working for Steele that had captured him, and indirectly resulted in him meeting Team Avengers. Anger surged within Andre, his vision seemingly turning red in his mind's eye. "That's it Andre, give in to your anger, open up to the Shadows!" Blaze taunted. Shadow Energy began to emanate from Andre's body, but soon faded, the only noticeable change being the irises of Andre's eyes having turned purple. Blaze was nearly blown away by what had happened; rather than being _consumed_ by the Shadows, Andre had _merged_ with them, becoming more powerful without _any_ negative side-effects! "Well well, look who wants to play…" Blaze said confidently. "You made a grave error in challenging me Blaze" Andre said coldly, "It's time we ended this once and for all!" "Gladly!" Blaze replied as he and Andre both loosed Dark Pulse at each other; previously, Blaze had far outmatched Andre in terms of speed and power, but now, Andre was overpowering him far more than Blaze ever did him. The attack connected, landing a direct hit and sending Blaze skidding back, but doing marginal damage due to his type. "Not bad Andre" Blaze said, "but you still have much to learn about the spirit of the battle!" "I believe I know enough to defeat you!" Andre replied as he switched tactics, launching a berserk series of attacks with Night Slash. Blaze attempted to evade but was soon overwhelmed by the intensity of Andre's attacks. Blaze was now at the edge of a sheer cliff, the only object to break his fall should he go over the edge being the cold waters of the Arcceonn Straight below. Andre had murderous intentions in his mind, a form of retribution for Blaze hounding him so persistently all those years ago. Twisters formed around Andre as he prepared Razor Wind, infused with Shadow Energy. As he approached Blaze, the latter realized that the moment of his fate was near, and the reaper that would decide that fate stood before him. "Andre, please, you don't have to do this!" Blaze exclaimed frantically in a vain attempt to save his own life. "Why shouldn't I?" Andre asked in a tone that clearly betrayed his intent. "Think about it Andre, this is madness!" Blaze replied with even more desperation. At this, Andre laughed, but it was a laugh that sent a chill up Blaze's spine; his time was up. "Madness?" Andre sneered before his expression became much more serious, his twisters increasing in size and wind speed. "THIS. IS. ARCCEONN!" Andre shouted as he unleashed his full power in his Razor Wind attack, blowing Blaze clear off the edge of the cliff and causing him to drop out of sight. "Good riddance…" Andre muttered as he turned around and walked away.

Meanwhile, Gallen was up against Lucan, and at the moment, he was losing badly. "What's wrong? Too much for you?" Lucan taunted as he walked over to Gallen after knocking him on to his back for the sixth time. "I won't give up…" Gallen replied as he staggered to his feet, "I have to get through…to Aranam…before it's too late!" "Give it up, that won't happen!" Lucan said with a wide grin, "Normally, I'd finish you off quickly and painlessly, but I think I'll torture you for a while." "I'd like…to see you try!" Gallen replied angrily as he ran at Lucan. The two of them locked blades several times, each trying to gain the upper hand, but both were equally matched in strength and skill. "What compels you to fight on Boy?" Lucan asked as they locked blades again, "You can't defeat Neo-Wyvernia!" "Wyvernia ceased to exist centuries ago!" Gallen replied, "I won't lose to a soldier from an army that no longer exists!" At that, Gallen forced his way through Lucan's defenses and slashed him twice with Night Slash before sending him flying back with Drain Punch. "Who says Wyvernia doesn't exist? The _original_ doesn't exist, but the nation itself isn't dead!" Lucan shouted as he went on the offensive, with Gallen blocking and pushing back before they both rushed in and again locked blades. "Wyvernia became a bastion of evil when Saul took control! He destroyed Arcceonn's greatest ally by turning it against us!" Gallen exclaimed as he pushed Lucan back yet again and slashed him. Lucan staggered only for a fraction of a second, but this was all Gallen needed. The enraged Gallade struck Lucan again and again, the last strike flinging Lucan high into the air. The Weavile landed on the ground in a heap, but was far from beaten. "This has gone too far! You're finished!" he shouted furiously as he ran at Gallen to finish him. Gallen began collecting power around him using Psychic, and when Lucan was about to strike, Gallen unleashed his attack, launching Lucan into the air and over the edge of the cliff. Gallen heard the Weavile screaming as he fell to his death but remained unmoved. When he turned to the other two members of Delta Force Four, who were fighting Draco and Elaine, the two pokemon immediately turned around a fled.

A few minutes after this, Gallen, Elaine, Andre and Draco stood facing each other as they discussed what had just happened. "Andre, Gallen, you both have the blood of one of them on your hands" Draco said sternly, "Can you explain yourselves?" "Lucan wasn't going to go down as long as he was breathing, I could see that" Gallen said flatly, "I hate the thought of killing anyone, but if their out to do the same to you, it's in your own best interest to kill them first." Andre, on the other hand, knew his excuse wasn't a very good one. "Blaze and I knew each other two years ago, during my days as a thief living on the streets" Andre said sadly, "Blaze was a hitman, and had tried to either kidnap or kill me many times…I was only thinking of revenge, but now…" He looked off towards the cliff and finished, "I just feel sick…" Suddenly, Andre felt Elaine rest a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Andre, at least you're still alive" she replied, "You have a good heart, but you have to understand that everyone experiences all emotions to some degree." Andre nodded and said, "I know…but that doesn't explain Aranam's behavior…"

Meanwhile, a great distance away, Aranam, Vera, Dallon and Fenris continued traveling northward; only Fenris knew where they were going, and so he lead the way. Suddenly, Aranam heard a chime and noticed it had come from a strange-looking headset Fenris wore on the right side of his head. It was a small gray device over his ear with a microphone extending from it, as well as a small antenna and a green transparent screen in front of his right eye that seemed to have some type of heads-up display. Fenris tapped the side of this device and said, "Yes, who is this...Sergeant Chandler? What happened to Captain Matthias…What!...I understand…meet us at the rendezvous point. General Novan, out!" Fenris raised a fist in the air and slammed it into the ground. "Dammit!" he shouted, "We lost Deltas One and Two!" "Delta…do you mean Delta Force Four?" Aranam asked. "Yeah, that's them" Fenris replied, "They work with us, and unfortunately, two of them were just killed by a pair of Arcceonn Knights and two accomplices, one of them being an Arch Paladin." Aranam was nearly panicking in his mind; they really _were_ out to kill him, and possibly Vera; he couldn't allow that to happen, for Vera's sake and that of their unborn child. "We need to get wherever we're going quickly" Aranam said, "There isn't a minute to lose." "I agree" Dallon said, "Let's move people!" As they began moving again, Vera came up beside Aranam and walked with him. "Aranam, do you have the faintest idea where we're going and why?" she asked. "I don't know where we're going, but there are two reasons _why_" Aranam replied, "One is to ensure your safety and that of our child; the other is to save your life." "What?" Vera asked. "I won't let you suffer the same fate my parents did Vera" Aranam said, "I won't lose you like I lost them; then I couldn't do anything about it, but now things are different…Soon I will have a power that will allow me to keep you from dying, I'm doing this for you." At this Vera nodded in response; something still didn't feel right in her mind, but she felt comforted that Aranam cared for her so deeply. "Thanks Aranam…" she replied as she and Aranam followed Fenris and Dallon further north.


	14. Chapter 13: Saul's Revival

Chapter 13 – Saul's Revival

_With the Delta Force Four defeated for good, Gallen and his team continue northwards in their search for Aranam and Vera. Now they know that Dallon had been deceiving them all this time, but they have no idea what it is they seek. Draco has his own suspicions on the matter, but isn't sure. They had best find out soon, or else it may already be too late._

"Here we are" Fenris said as he lead the others into a clearing. Aranam looked ahead and saw a massive stone structure resembling something along the lines of a mausoleum. "Okay…where's here?" Aranam asked. "This is where you will obtain what it is you seek Aranam" Dallon replied, "All you must do is use Exomere to unseal the door." At that, Aranam charged at the door and slashed it clean in half with Exomere, much to Dallon and Fenris' surprise. "Like this?" Aranam asked. "Uh…it wasn't _intended_ to be opened that way, but it works" Dallon replied, "After you." Aranam nodded and entered alongside Vera, Fenris falling in behind while Dallon remained outside for a short time longer. There were two others that he had instructed to wait there: two young officer cadets, a scyther and a kabutops going by the callsigns Delta 5 and 6 respectively. "You two, guard the door" Dallon said just before entering as well. "Yes sir!" the two cadets replied before turning around to face the direction opposite the entrance.

Several minutes later, Aranam, Vera and Fenris emerged from the staircase at the entrance into a massive chamber filled with adamantite crystals, with a particularly massive one in the center. The crystals all glowed a soft blue save the one in the center, which seemed to be glowing a slight shade of red. Aranam looked more closely at this one until he noticed there was the outline of something inside of it. "What is that?" Vera asked. "I don't know Vera" Aranam replied, "But something tells me this is why I'm here…" Fenris then walked up beside Aranam and said, "Aranam, take Exomere and stab the crystal exactly in the center." "What!" Aranam exclaimed, "Adamantite can't be cut! It'll deflect right off!" "Aranam, trust me" Fenris replied calmly. Aranam looked at Fenris, then Exomere, and finally the crystal. _It might deflect, or it could shatter…but I have to trust Fenris on this…here goes nothing!_ he thought as he raised Exomere high over his head and stabbed the crystal. Suddenly, Aranam, the spear, Vera and Fenris were blown back by an intense surge of energy from the crystal. The crystal began to glow and change shape until at last the light faded, revealing what was inside. It was a Salamence, obviously ancient but no less awe-inspiring in just its apparent power alone. "Who has awakened me?" the Salamence said in a voice that was calm yet seemed overflowing with anger. "My Emperor, you are alive" Dallon said as he suddenly appeared before him and bowed down, "I am grateful you are still among us." "General Lettos, it's good to see you remain loyal to me…but it was not you who awakened me. Who was it?" the Salamence asked. "That would be me" Aranam said as he stood up and approached the figure, kneeling down once he got close, "I am Aranam K'Tal." "Aranam…I am grateful for you reviving me" the dragon type replied, "I am Emperor Saul Dragmire I of Wyvernia…what is it you seek?" "Guidance, nothing more" Aranam said calmly, still knelt down, "I seek the power to keep those I care for from dying." At this Saul smiled and said calmly, "I am willing to teach you this ability…in return for your undying loyalty." Aranam, although slightly taken aback by this requirement, was willing to do anything for Vera; as far as he was concerned, this was only a small price to pay. "I pledge me allegiance to you…my Master…" Aranam replied. "Very good…I can sense your power, and it is indeed great…" Saul said, "From this point forward…you shall be known as Lord…Axxon…" Aranam stood up and replied, "I accept my new title graciously." At that, Aranam suddenly became engulfed in shadow energy, emerging wearing black armor over his entire body save his head and a swirling black cloak draped over his shoulders down his back. "What is thy bidding Master?" Axxon asked calmly.

"They're just up ahead, I know it!" Gallen exclaimed as he and his companions sped up their pace to a run, knowing that Aranam wouldn't be far ahead. "I hope you're right!" Andre replied just as they entered a clearing. All four of them stopped in their tracks at the sight of a massive stone mausoleum with a huge entrance, but the entrance was guarded by a scyther and kabutops. "Hold it right there!" the scyther shouted, "You are not to proceed any further!" "Try and stop us!" Andre replied angrily, ready to fight. "So you think you can fight? Let's go!" replied the kabutops, "Hey Cade, let's show him what happens when you cross Wyvernia!" "I'll cover you Darman!" replied Cade, the scyther. Gallen was about to step forward to assist Andre when Draco blocked him. "This is Andre's fight; let him do this alone…" Draco said, gesturing to Andre, who stood between the two circling pokemon. Both of Andre's opponent had murderous intent, but Andre wasn't about to give in just yet; he had to save his friend no matter what the cost.

Cade and Darman attacked at the same time with X-Scissor, Andre deflecting the attacks with his blade before knocking them back with Dark Pulse. The two pokemon leapt back to their feet as if they weren't harmed, a testament to their strength despite their age. "Okay, so taking you on at the same time won't work…I'll take you on first!" Darman exclaimed as he leapt high into the air, attacking with an overhead slash aimed at Andre's head. Andre blocked the slash when he noticed that Cade was going after somebody else: Elaine! "Oh no you don't!" Andre shouted as he lashed out at Cade with Razor Wind, forcing him to back away. Andre and Elaine moved so that the stood back to back, eyeing their opponents cautiously. "Now!" Cade shouted as the two attacked, barely managing to split the two of them up into individual battles.

Andre was being pitted against Darman, the slower of the two but also the more heavily armored. "We must protect our Emperor until he can be revived!" Darman shouted. "Emperor! So you really _do_ intend to revive Wyvernia!" Andre shot back as the two leapt at each other and used Night Slash. Their blades collided with a loud clash sounding almost like distant thunder. "Precisely, and this time, no one will stop us! Darman replied as he used Mud Shot. Andre used Agility to speed himself up before evading the attack and going on the offensive. Due to his greatly increased speed, Darman barely saw him by the time Andre struck him down with several Night Slash attacks. Darman recoiled back before launching himself high into the air, his blades outstretched as he fell back down to bring an overhead slash down onto Andre. Andre slipped to the side just as Darman landed before counter-striking with yet another Night Slash. This one proved decisive, as it caused Darman to stagger just enough to give Andre one last opening. With a final Night Slash, Darman fell to the ground in defeat and fainted.

Elaine, meanwhile, was fighting Cade, who was far faster than Darman, but couldn't take as many hits; this didn't seem to matter, as Cade had just knocked Elaine down for the fifth time. "What's the matter, too tired to play?" Cade taunted, "You really should have thought about the consequences before you decided to cross us!" "_You_ attacked _us_! There's a difference!" Elaine replied furiously as she gestured towards Cade. Suddenly, Cade fell to the ground, shaking as if paralyzed. "What the…why do I feel so weak! What did you do to me!" Cade exclaimed. "It's called Pain Split" Elaine replied flatly, "It alters our strength so that way we each have the same amount of energy…only I know how to use mine more efficiently than you do." Cade stood back up, clearly infuriated by him being weakened so easily along with Elaine's snide insult. "You're going to eat your words!" Cade shouted angrily as he used Swords Dance until his attack power was maximized, Elaine maximizing her own power using Calm Mind. Cade was the first to attack, with Elaine simply teleporting out of the way. "Wow, I haven't seen _anyone_ miss by _that_ much!" Elaine taunted, prompting Cade to turn back around and attack again, with the same result. "What? Is that all you've got?" Elaine asked, "Maybe I should've fought your friend over there instead!" Cade attacked yet again, this time with Elaine teleporting then catching him with Psychic. "Let this be a lesson" Elaine said, "Control your anger, don't let your anger control you." With that, she slammed Cade into a tree with Psychic and knocked him out, ending the battle.

"Not bad Elaine" Andre said to his friend. "You too Andre" she replied, "You were the only one who was really fighting anyways; my opponent defeated himself!" At this, Andre couldn't help but smile; it was for that witty sense of humor that he found most attractive about her, along with her elegant appearance of course. "Well, this complicates things…" said a deep voice coming from the mausoleum entrance. Everyone looked in the direction of the door to see a massive Salamence standing there that Draco immediately recognized. "Saul! I knew we should have killed you when we had the chance!" he shouted angrily. "Sir Draco, one of the Seven Knights of Raynar the Great" Saul replied with a grin, "How have you been? I trust you're in good health?" "Why am I not flattered by your concern?" Draco asked sarcastically, "Is it because you're a back-stabbing liar or because you were our mortal enemy?" "Must you resort to name-calling?" Saul asked in response, "Or will we settle this the honorable way?" "Why don't I just kill you right here!" Draco exclaimed as he leapt at Saul to attack. At that moment, Saul loosed a powerful Dragon Pulse attack, sending Draco flying high up into the air before he gave pursuit. He struck Draco several times with Dragon Claw before slamming him into the ground with Hyper Beam. There was no question in anyone's mind that Saul had just killed Sir Draco. "Master!" Gallen exclaimed when he was stopped by Elaine and Andre. "Gallen, it's no use! He's too powerful!" Andre replied, "We need to head back and regroup. If we can mobilize the entire order, we might stand a chance! Let's go!" To this, Gallen reluctantly agreed as he grabbed on to the two of them and teleported the three of them away.

"Nice shooting your excellency!" Fenris exclaimed as he walked out into the open, followed by Dallon, Axxon and Vera. "You're welcome General Novan" Saul replied as he landed in front of them. "That's two Arch Paladins down, but the remainder are still a major threat" Axxon said, "If they can mobilize, it's all over." "I agree with you Lord Axxon…we must move quickly…" Saul said coldly, "Now…go to Arcceonn City. You know what to do when you arrive I assume?" Axxon nodded and replied, "It shall be done…Dallon, Fenris, follow me. Vera, remain here." "No Aranam! I don't want to lose you!" Vera exclaimed. At this Axxon turned around and embraced her. "I promise you Vera, when this is all over, I will return to you, and then we can settle down and raise our child together" Axxon said calmly, but Vera could sense he was on the verge of tears as he let go and stood back up, "Goodbye Vera…" With that, Axxon, Dallon and Fenris became engulfed in shadows and disappeared. _All is going as planned Saul…_ said a voice in the revived Emperor's head. _It won't be too much longer Master…_ Saul replied mentally, _The hour of the beginning of your reign is at hand!_


	15. Chapter 14: Battle of the Knights

Chapter 14 – Battle of the Knights

_The Emperor of Wyvernia has been at long last revived through the efforts of Aranam K'Tal, Dallon Lettos, and Fenris Novan, and Aranam has declared his allegiance to Neo-Wyvernia. Now Lord Axxon, a Wyvernian Knight, he has been sent on his first mission by the revived Emperor; return to Arcceonn City alone and wipe out the Arcceonn Knights, the organization most responsible for Saul's defeat long ago next to Raynar II himself. The hour of Arcceonn's fate is at hand, and nobody knows who will survive, and who will not._

The moon was high over Arcceonn City, and all was calm as the apprentices had all gone to bed for the night, save some of the older ones posted as sentinels. "See anything?" asked one of those sentinels, a Machamp. "Nope, nothing" replied a Staraptor, "Wait, I see something!" Approaching along the main road was a lone figure; it was too dark to clearly see who it was, but the moonlight revealed that this was probably someone who might be a threat. "C'mon, let's check it out" the Staraptor said as the two ran towards the gate to meet the stranger.

The figure continued to approach the gates of the walled city, a murderous vibe seeming to emanate from him. Except for his head, his entire body was covered in black armor that reflected the moonlight and wore and swirling black cloak draped over his shoulders. He was known among those here as Aranam K'Tal, the supposed savior of Arcceonn, but they couldn't be more wrong; he was Axxon, a Wyvernian Knight with greater power than any before him thanks to the Shadows infused with his Aura. "Halt!" shouted someone from the side. Axxon turned around to face the sentinel, a Machamp and halted. "Identify yourself!" he shouted. Axxon didn't say a word, instead summoning Exomere, dividing it into its blade forms. The weapons glowed bright red as they charged with his aura. Immediately, the sentinel pulled back in shock as he realized who this strange, armored stranger was. Before he could call for help, Axxon stabbed him through the chest, quieting him forever. "No!" shouted someone from behind Axxon. He spun around to see a Staraptor diving at him to attack. _Fool…_ Axxon thought as he threw one of his blades at the Staraptor, striking his wing and forcing him to the ground. From there, Axxon leapt into the air and brought the other blade down on his head, finishing the sentinel off before retrieving his weapon. Axxon knew he had to move quickly, for others had heard the commotion and were already sounding alarms. Nevertheless, he confidently strode into the city gates, knowing what must be done.

Over an hour later, scores of dead lie in Axxon's wake, each one felled by a rapid slash or stab from his blades. The Arch Paladins watched from the citadel in horror, totally unaware of who was coming their way; how could a single individual cause such carnage? All of the surviving Knights had managed to make it to the citadel, all the apprentices having been slain when they attempted to attack the intruder. "This is a catastrophe! Who could be doing this!" exclaimed Arch Paladin Gorizont. "I don't know" replied High Arch Paladin Alistair, "But I have a sneaking suspicion who it might be…" Suddenly the doors of the citadel exploded as if struck by a giant hammer, and in stepped the lone assassin. Several Knights attacked him, but all were cut down in short order as he continued his inexorable advance. "This is getting out of hand, I'll stop him myself!" shouted Arch Paladin Gorizont, "High Arch Paladin, get the other Arch Paladins and every survivor you can out of here!" Alistair nodded and replied, "Good luck my friend, take care of yourself…" As the others retreated, Gorizont leapt from the wall and landed in the intruder's path. To his horror, it was _exactly_ whom he feared it would be.

"Aranam!" Gorizont exclaimed, "What are you doing! You've killed hundreds in just over an hour!" "That name no longer has any meaning to ` me…" Axxon replied coldly, combining his blades into Exomere's spear form. "What the…you are of the K'Tal royal dynasty! How can that not mean anything to you!" Gorizont shouted in disbelief, unable to comprehend why he would say such a thing. "I am Lord Axxon, Knight of the Wyvernian Empire!" Axxon declared, "I will protect my Emperor and all in his domain…and I will start by wiping out the greatest threat to that domain!" At this, Gorizont recoiled in horror, realizing that Aranam had given in the Shadows, and was now one with them. "What the…how could you do such a thing! You're betraying your greatest ally!" Gorizont shouted. "Don't try to deceive me, traitor! _You're_ the one who wants _me_ dead!" Axxon replied furiously, "I must wipe out the Arcceonn Knights so I can ensure the safety of my lover and that of our child! I won't allow the same pain I endured to be inflicted upon my own child!" At this, Gorizont had a revelation that explained everything Axxon was talking about; he was in pain, a lot of it, but he felt responsible for it. As a result, he felt it was his responsibility to defend his family, where his parents have failed to defend him.

Meanwhile, just inside the gate, Gallen, Vera, Elaine and Andre arrived only to find they were too late; Axxon had already done grievous damage to the city, as well as killing most of the inhabitants. "Oh no…" Gallen muttered in horror, almost speechless at the carnage around him. "These marks…" Andre muttered as he looked at a corpse, "these could only have been inflicted by a blade, or perhaps _two_ blades." Vera couldn't take it anymore, realizing that Aranam, her beloved 'knight in shining armor', was responsible for this, but was unwilling to believe it; she needed to find out for herself from him if he had done this. Suddenly, Vera started running through the path in the middle of the street that marked the assailant's path in the direction of the fortress. "Vera, wait!" Gallen exclaimed as he chased after her, even though Vera easily outpaced him, with Andre and Elaine staying behind to look for survivors.

Gorizont had kept a standoff with Axxon for quite some time now, but he knew that now his time was up. "Aranam…please, listen to me! You have been consumed by the Shadows! It will consume your destiny and make you its slave!" "Nice try, but that won't save you" Axxon said as he raised his spear high over his head to attack when he sensed someone approaching behind. He spun around, and to his surprise, it was none other than Vera. "Vera!" he exclaimed is surprise, "What are you doing here!" Vera ran over to him and the two embraced before Vera replied, "Draco is dead, killed by Saul…and I came because I was worried about you…I don't think you're evil, but please tell me…did you kill all of them?" "Their deaths are irrelevant" Axxon replied. "What!" Vera exclaimed in disbelief, "Aranam, you're scaring me." "Don't you understand? We won't have to run anymore!" Axxon exclaimed ecstatically, almost deliriously, "I've become strong enough I can overthrow Saul, and Arcceonn will be ours to rule! We can truly form the ideal nation, together!" Vera could hardly believe what she was hearing, but only now did she realize just how dangerous he had become. "I don't believe it! You really _have _changed!" Vera exclaimed in horror, crying from her heart Aranam had just broken, "I can't do this Aranam, I just can't!" "Vera…look, I'm doing this to keep you safe…" Aranam replied, his tone suddenly becoming stern as his anger began to build, "Don't tell me you're betraying me too!" "Aranam…Aranam, please! Stop!" Vera shouted when suddenly she noticed Gallen had approached, which, from Axxon's expression, told Vera that this had angered him so much as to lose all reason. "You brought him here to kill me! I should've known you would betray me, just as Razon did!" At this, Axxon grabbed Vera by the throat and lifted her high in the air. "Let her go Aranam!" Gallen shouted angrily. Aranam, in spite of him, threw Vera against a wall, immediately rendering her unconscious. "You turned her on me!" Axxon screamed. "The only one who's done that is you!" Gallen shouted back angrily. "Ignorant fool, you have no idea what I fight for…" Axxon replied as he turned away from Gallen, "I fight for peace, freedom, and glory for my new nation!" "Your new nation! What the…what are you talking about!" Gallen exclaimed. "Don't make me kill you" Axxon replied coldly. "Aranam, it's not too late, you can still turn back! Let me help you!" Gallen shouted frantically in a final bid to not have to kill his friend. "If you're not with me…then you are against me!" Axxon replied furiously, still not tuning to face him. "Only a servant of Evil would deal in such an absolute" Gallen replied coldly as he extended his forearms into blades, "I will do as I must…" Gorizont watched the exchange between them and knew immediately what would follow; this broke his heart, as he realized now that he had failed. Axxon chuckled slightly as he separated Exomere into twin blades before he replied, "You will try…and you will fail!" On the last word, Axxon and Gallen leapt into the air and attacked with their full fury, the clash of their blades echoing louder than the greatest thunder as the two knights did battle.

Soon, Axxon was forced on the retreat, and so he leapt onto the rooftop, Gallen in pursuit. The two ran along the length of the roof, Axxon tossing a blade at Gallen, which the latter caught and threw back. Axxon caught this one before firing a Shadow Blast at Gallen, forcing him back to evade while Axxon turned around and came in for another pass. Gallen blocked the blades and forced his foe back before slashing him on the chest. Axxon recoiled away from the attack, clearly injured by the attack as the clash had penetrated his armor. "Drown in shadows!" Axxon exclaimed as he launched another Shadow Blast at Gallen, hitting him head on and slamming him into the wall of a spire. Axxon immediately ran over to him and pinned Gallen against the wall, but the Gallade had another idea. He ducked down, forcing Axxon over his head before Gallen did a reverse somersault kick that knocked Axxon down to the ground below. The shadow pokemon cushioned his fall using Psychic before leaping back on to the rooftop and charging at Gallen yet again. Gallen blocked and struck again, doing yet more damage as he retreated up the spire, with Axxon in hot pursuit. Eventually, Gallen reached the top of the spire, with Axxon standing just below him at a fair distance away. "Give it up Aranam, you can't win!" Gallen shouted to him. "How dare you underestimate my power!" Axxon replied furiously as he prepared to leap for an overhead attack. "Don't do it!" Gallen exclaimed, but it was too late. Axxon leapt high in the air and brought his blades down on Gallen, who immediately ducked to the side and slashed him in a vulnerable area unprotected by armor on his back. Axxon screamed in pain as he slipped off the top and grabbed onto the ledge, Exomere falling into the darkness below. "You were descended of our King Aranam!" Gallen shouted furiously on the verge of tears, "You were supposed to restore Arcceonn, not destroy what was left of it!" Axxon didn't reply, but as his grip began loosening, he shouted, "I hate you!" With that, he let go, dropping down to the ground below, seemingly gone forever. Gallen looked down at where Axxon fell, shook his head and wiped away a tear as he descended down the spire. _I'm sorry Aranam…I'm sorry…_ he thought.


	16. Chapter 15: New Hope

Chapter 15 – New Hope

_The Arcceonn Knights have been all but destroyed, and thanks to Gallen, so has Axxon, or at least as so it seemed. Meanwhile, Vera was mortally wounded by Axxon in his rage, and is on the verge of death. Gallen, Andre and Elaine have returned with her and the surviving knights and Arch Paladins to his village, where they hope to seek the help of Blaziken's Exploration Guild._

"What could have happened to Team Avengers?" Blaine muttered to himself as he watched the sunset, "I haven't heard from them in weeks…I hope they're alright…" Suddenly, Evan flew up and landed next to him; by his ruffled feathers, Blaine knew he was in a hurry. "What now Evan…" Blaine sighed. "It's an emergency Blaine, we need you immediately! Andre has returned with many of the natives, all of whom are wounded and one of them fatally!" "What!" Blaine exclaimed as he ran as fast as he could towards the village, "Why didn't you say so! Let's go!"

Gallen, Elaine and Andre all sat together as they awaited the news on their friend's condition. Suddenly, Blaine exited the hut where she was being tended to with a solemn expression, which Gallen knew could only mean one thing. "We lost her…" he said sadly, "There was nothing we could do…" At this, Gallen shook his head sadly, knowing that had he been just a little faster, he could have saved her from Axxon's wrath. "However, we did obtain this…" Blaine said as he revealed an object from behind his back; it was an egg, much to everyone's surprise save Gallen. "We don't know who the father is…" Blaine began when Gallen interrupted, "Aranam is the father." Blaine's eyes grew wide in surprise at this; he had never thought Aranam would even _think_ about settling down and raising a family, but then again, a lot changed after he became the leader of the now non-existent Team Avengers. "Well then…who else can take care of it if Aranam's dead?" Blaine asked. "I have an idea…" Gallen replied.

Meanwhile, far away, Axxon opened his eyes once again to find himself in a dimly lit chamber, with Saul, Dallon and Fenris looking down on him. Axxon slowly sat up, greatly pained by moving but not to the extent of impairing his movement. "Lord Axxon, can you hear me?" Saul asked in a concerned tone. "Yes…my Emperor…" Axxon replied, "Where is Vera? Is she safe? Did she come to any harm?" At this, Fenris sighed, knowing he would have to tell his friend the bad news. "In your anger…you killed her" Fenris said sadly. "What the…that can't be right! She was alive, I know she was!" Axxon exclaimed as the shadows already emanating from him surged forth, causing the ground to tremble and punching holes in the chamber walls as well as forcing the others back, "I can't believe this! This…can't be happening!" Suddenly, he released a massive surge of energy, causing the chamber to collapse and opening it to the night air. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Days later, before dawn, Gallen stood atop a hill overlooking the landscape; just weeks ago, he had met and attacked several strangers at this very spot, only to later become best friends with them. Now, he stood alone, save the egg he carried in a pouch he wore on his back. Two days after the events at Arcceonn City, his sister had also delivered an egg, which from its aura, Gallen knew was Andre's, but he had left after Vera's funeral service. Gallen started to cry over the loss of his friends when he noticed something; the sun's glow had appeared, and the first rays of sunlight were breaking the horizon. This gave him renewed hope for the future, and that in itself gave him an idea. Vera died before naming her child, which Gallen had determined was male through the use of Psychic. The name of Aranam's child was a historic one, one that translated in Arcceonn's oldest language as "New Hope". "This is it…we're leaving now…" Gallen said as he took the egg in his arms, "Raynar…" At that, he placed the egg back in the pouch and began his journey to the East.


End file.
